Mixed Signals on Chavez Health Sparks Confusion in Venezuela

Mixed signals from officials in Venezuela sparked confusion on Monday over the condition of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez, under treatment in a Cuban hospital for over a month. Chavez is "fighting for his life," former vice president Elias Jaua said. "The situation is complex and delicate, but it is true that Hugo Chavez has fought and is fighting for his life," said Jaua, who was in office from January 2010 until October. Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas, however, said that Chavez, hospitalized in Cuba following his fourth cancer operation last month, was doing better. "Despite his delicate health state since his complex surgery on December 11, his general health has improved in recent days," Villegas said in a statement read on radio and television. The president's previously disclosed severe pulmonary infection was "under control" but he still required treatment for "respiratory failure," he added. Chavez, whose OPEC-member nation controls the world's largest proven oil reserves, has been out of sight since leaving for Cuba for the latest round of treatment in the 18 months since his condition was made public. Uncertainty about his status has fueled speculation about his prospects for a full recovery -- and his political future. The latest, conflicting reports followed a denial from Chavez's brother Adan on Saturday that the 58-year-old was in a coma. He insisted the Venezuelan leader was responding well to treatment and making progress on a daily basis. ---

Chavez Brother Denies Venezuelan Leader in Coma 
Local Editor

The Brother of the Venezuelan President denied that Hugo Chavez was in coma, stressing he was responding well to cancer treatment in Cuba.

"Reports that the president is in a coma and that the family is discussing ending life support, are totally false,"

Adan Chavez, governor of the state of Barinas, said in a statement Saturday.

He "continues to respond well to his medical care and to make daily progress in his recovery."

Chavez, whose OPEC-member nation controls the world's largest proven oil reserves, has been out of the public eye since undergoing surgery in Havana on December 11. It is the fourth such operation in the 18 months since his condition was made public.

Previously, officials said the fiery leftist leader was suffering from a severe pulmonary infection that resulted in a respiratory insufficiency.

But a recent report in the Spanish newspaper ABC said the Venezuelan president was in an ‘induced coma and on life support.’

The uncertainty surrounding Chavez's condition has unsettled Venezuela.

The government was forced to postpone the president's scheduled inauguration Thursday, as it became clear that he could not attend. Authorities insist the country's constitution allows Chavez to take the oath of office at a later time.

But the opposition has objected, calling for a medical board to review the absent leader's health -- a demand rejected by the Supreme Court, which said the delayed swearing-in was constitutional.

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