Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela,
has just announced this decision regarding his country's medical assistance during a coronavirus pandemic.
As part of it, each doctor will receive ... a Petro token.
Tokens will be distributed using Venezuela's "Patria System"
- a platform launched by the government.
Petro will be a bonus for medics. Is this to help them fight the epidemic?
Or in other words: is it to encourage even more intensive work for the benefit of patients? These last theses are questionable.
Petro tokens are reportedly linked to the price of one barrel of Venezuelan oil.
This is currently around 27 USD.
Politicians opposed to Maduro, have already said openly in the media that this is not the case and tokens have no cover at all.
They are reportedly the fiat currency, in pure and digital form. The Maduro administration claims that 1 petro is worth about USD 60,
although popular trading platforms used by Venezuelans currently give a token of USD 20-26. However, there is another side to the coin.
Considering the minimum monthly salary in Venezuela of USD 3.61 plus USD 2.89 in the form of food vouchers,
one petro can equal a few months' salary.
