The Niño Jesus Mission will be a social project of pre- and post-natal care for mother and child, with the aim of guaranteeing dignified childbirth.

Currently in Venezuela, women often have to wait in hospital halls before giving birth and in some regions they can’t get guaranteed places in hospitals.

“A pregnant woman is something sacred. She can’t be walking around in labour, not knowing where she’s going to give birth,” Chavez said.

The Chavez administration has created more than 25 missions since 2003. These social programs have drastically increased the availability of health care, education, economic stimulus and training, food security, disability services, and rehabilitation to the nation’s poor.

Corporation of Socialist Markets

Chavez also announced the creation of the Corporation of Socialist Markets (Comerso), whose purpose will be to make sure the government can guarantee low-priced products to the population. He instructed the minister for commerce, Eduardo Saman, to begin concretising the proposal.

“The markets should be converted into popular markets… into socialist markets,” he said, giving the example of the Quinta Crespo market and the Coche market, both of which were owned and run by a small group of people and are now being transformed.

The president explained that there was a problem where the government was selling subsidised and government produced food to private distributors, who then sold the food at higher prices.

“It’s not sufficient to recuperate the land if we don’t also create socialist mechanisms of distribution. Otherwise, the rich are going to keep earning huge profits.”

Saman commented that the corporations of socialist markets will form part of the government’s strategy against inflation, by offering products free of price speculation and without intermediaries.

Chavez also reported that there are currently 200 communes, units of around 10 communal councils that take care of a community’s social, consumption and production needs, being created nationally.

“This is the basis for the construction of socialism, where we have to concentrate all cultural, economic and productive efforts,” the president said.

Venezuelan Analysis