<\/p>\n
A joint assessment conducted by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) found that all eight health facilities surveyed in the affected areas of La Guaira, Caracas and Miranda require urgent external support. Three of the facilities sustained structural damage, adding to the challenges facing healthcare workers responding to the disaster.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Authorities have reported 2 295 deaths, 11 267 injuries and 12 841 people displaced or severely affected by the earthquakes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The situation is particularly critical at Vargas-IVSS Hospital in La Guaira, where nearly 100 patients are being treated in a ward designed for just eight beds. The hospital’s morgue is operating beyond capacity, the blood bank has only 35 units available, and both ventilators in the trauma unit remain unusable due to power shortages.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Communication systems have also been disrupted, with no functioning telephone or internet services available to help staff track patients. Water supplies are being delivered several times a day manually, while medical waste has accumulated in corridors due to limited disposal capacity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite the building remaining structurally sound, PAHO has identified Vargas-IVSS as its highest-priority facility for assistance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At Rafael Medina Jim\u00e9nez Hospital, also in La Guaira, bed capacity has fallen from 108 to just 35. Health teams reported shortages of supplies, transport difficulties, growing surgical backlogs and concerns over infection control measures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO Health Emergencies Programme lead Ian Clark said many frontline responders are themselves victims of the disaster. \u201cIn many cases, those responding at the community and national level are people directly affected, who have friends and family affected by the earthquake,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The disaster has also impacted healthcare personnel. Several health workers remain unaccounted for, including the official responsible for coordinating maternal healthcare across La Guaira, complicating efforts to identify and assist pregnant women requiring medical support.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Clark noted that Venezuela’s healthcare system was already under strain before the earthquakes, with many hospitals facing shortages of essential medicines after years of economic difficulties and underinvestment. The country has also experienced a significant loss of healthcare professionals through emigration in recent years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Humanitarian assistance continues to arrive. PAHO has delivered more than two tonnes of medicines and medical supplies to health authorities in La Guaira, including trauma kits, injectable medicines, protective equipment and body bags. An additional four tonnes of supplies have arrived from Panama.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Emergency response efforts have also established a 48-bed field hospital in La Guaira equipped with four intensive care beds and two operating theatres, while additional medical teams are expected to arrive in the coming days.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released $1.5 million from its emergency contingency fund to support the response, with a further 28 tonnes of medical supplies being shipped from Dubai. PAHO and WHO have jointly appealed for nearly $24 million to sustain health operations over the next six months.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The humanitarian situation is expanding beyond the initial disaster zone as displaced families move in search of safety. The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is coordinating relief efforts across eight states, including Zulia, T\u00e1chira and Anzo\u00e1tegui.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In La Guaira, sporting facilities such as the Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Vargas complex and the C\u00e9sar Nieves and Playa Grande stadiums have been converted into emergency centres providing healthcare, food, water and protection services.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency is seeking $14.85 million to support up to 30 000 people with shelter and essential assistance over the next six months as recovery efforts continue.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":38734,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-38733","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Hospitals in northern Venezuela are facing mounting pressure a week after devastating earthquakes struck the country, with health officials warning of increasing risks of disease outbreaks as thousands of displaced people remain in temporary shelters.","published_date":"","news_description":"Hospitals in northern Venezuela are facing mounting pressure a week after devastating earthquakes struck the country, with health officials warning of increasing risks of disease outbreaks as thousands of displaced people remain in temporary shelters.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/38733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/38733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38735,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/38733\/revisions\/38735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=38733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}