Venezuela dialysis patients face uncertain fate after power cuts

FILE PHOTO: The hands of Aidalis Guanipa, 25, a kidney disease patient, and her 83-year-old grandmother, are seen as they pose for a photo, while they wait for the electricity to return, at her house during a blackout, in La Concepcion, Venezuela, April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

MARACAIBO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Seconds before William Lopez was set to be connected to a dialysis machine at a state-run clinic in the western Venezuelan city of Maracaibo in April, the power went out.

Missing dialysis treatment, which removes toxins that build up in the blood of people who suffer kidney failure, leaves Lopez feeling dizzy and nauseous. Like any chronic kidney patient, he could die if he goes too long without treatment.