The Vice Ministry of Foreign Action of the Government of the Canary Islands, headed by Juan Rafael Zamora, has intensified this year the support of the Autonomous Community to the Canaries living in Venezuela by deciding to reinforce the aid that this department offers through the agreement signed by the Government of the Canary Islands and the Spain Health Foundation (FES) and through food cards and medicines in that Latin American country, with so many ties to the Islands.
The budget increase reaches 450,000 euros more in 2021 compared to the item that was distributed in the previous year, which represents an overall increase of 23.07%.
The total amount thus goes from the million and a half of 2020 with which these programs were endowed last year to a total of 1.95, which will contribute to alleviate a little more the difficult situation that many canaries residing in that country are going through, where a large number of them and their descendants still live (57,286 people, according to official data from January 2020).
This is a country that, as has happened in the rest of the planet, has also suffered the socioeconomic and health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In this way, the commitment to increase these aids developed by the Government of the Canary Islands during this X regional legislature is confirmed, since the 2019 item also increased in 2020.
For this new financial year, the aid that is allocated to Canarians over 65 years of age through the España Salud Foundation goes from 700,000 euros to one million, while those that finance food cards rise from 600,000 to 700,000 and those for medicines of 200,000 to 250,000.
The Vice Ministry calculates that these increases will allow this year to incorporate 725 canaries living in Venezuela as beneficiaries of health aid through the Spain Health Foundation. In this way, of the 845 who took advantage of this program in 2020, there will be 1,570 (plus 725 people).
The Vice Ministry calculates that these increases will allow this year to incorporate 725 canaries living in Venezuela as beneficiaries of health aid through the Spain Health Foundation. In this way, of the 845 who took advantage of this program in 2020, there will be 1,570 (plus 725 people).
In the case of medication cards , the forecast indicates that the overall figure will rise from 1,800 the previous year to 2,240, which implies 440 more, while in regards to the food program (for various groups of age) the increase in beneficiaries will bring the figure to 3,365, which is 365 more than the 3,000 of the previous year .
Venezuelan canaries who want to take advantage of these aid programs can do so from the publication in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) of the call for support, something that has happened in today’s edition, Thursday, February 4, 2021.
Since 2019, Juan Rafael Zamora has made a tangible and objective commitment to further enhance and monitor these aids, which has resulted in two budget increases, in 2020 and 2021. Although his Vice-Ministry intends to reinforce all programs for Canarians abroad, Special attention is paid to countries such as Cuba, Argentina or Venezuela due to the high number of Canarians and their descendants who remain in those sister territories.
