Medical Emergency in Brazil: Brazil’s Ministry of Health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami area bordering Venezuela. The decision was taken following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases due to illegal gold mining.
A notification issued on Friday by the government of newly appointed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the purpose of the announcement was to restore health services for the Yanomami people, which were abolished by former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The President visited the health center
According to data from Amazon journalism platform Sumauma, 570 Yanomami children died of various diseases during Bolsonaro’s four-year presidency. These children died primarily from malnutrition, as well as malaria, diarrhea, and maladies caused by the mercury used by wildcat gold miners.
Incumbent President Lula visited a Yanomami health center in Boa Vista in Roraima state on Saturday, where children, the elderly and other patients were admitted. Here the pictures of the patients admitted in the center were frightening. His ribs were looking thin. Lula wrote on Twitter after the visit, “What I saw in Roraima was more than a humanitarian crisis, a genocide. A premeditated crime against the Yanomami, perpetrated by a government insensitive to suffering.”
Government announced food package
After this tour, the government has announced food packages for this area. About 26 thousand people live in this area. Gold mining is done in this area. It is said that after Bolsonaro came to power in 2018, illegal mining increased rapidly here and exploitation of the local people also started. Because of this, incidents of violence have also increased here.
Government’s announcement – will stop illegal mining
Estevao Senra, a researcher at the Instituto Socioambiental, an NGO that protects indigenous rights, said that many illegal miners had fled since the new government took office. At the same time, President Lula said that the new government would put an end to illegal gold mining. This is necessary to crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon. All these things increased during Bolsonaro’s tenure.
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