Source: UN News: Thursday, 09 July 2026 00:00 AM
A week after the devastating earthquakes in northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guerra are under immense pressure due to the increasing number of patients. At the same time, the risk of spreading diseases in shelters is also continuously increasing. According to an assessment by the UN-backed Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), all eight health centers examined in La Guaira, Caracas and Miranda are in need of urgent external assistance. The buildings of three of these centers have also been damaged. Tweet URL
According to officials, so far 2,295 people have died and 11,267 people have been injured in the earthquakes. At the same time, 12,841 people have been displaced or seriously affected. Crowd of patients: 96 patients are admitted in an eight-bed ward at the Vargas-IVSS hospital in Guerra. There is huge pressure on the mortuary and only 35 units of blood are left in the blood bank. Due to no electricity, both the ventilators of the trauma unit are closed. There is no phone or internet facility available to record patient information. Water in the hospital is brought in canisters several times a day, while medical waste has accumulated in the corridors. There is no major structural damage to the building, however, due to the serious situation, PAHO has given the first priority for assistance to the Vargas-IVSS Hospital. The number of beds in the Rafael Medina Himénez Hospital in La Guerra has dropped from 108 to only 35. Difficulty in transporting patients, shortage of medical supplies, increasing wait for operations and serious problems related to bio-security have also come to light. Relief workers are also affected.World Health Organization (WHOIan Clarke, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, told journalists in Geneva that many people involved in relief work have also been affected by the disaster. “In these extremely difficult circumstances, local communities and national and international relief teams are doing extraordinary work,” he said. Due to years of underinvestment and the economic crisis, many hospitals were facing shortages of essential medicines by up to 37 percent. He said thousands of health workers had left the country in recent years, although exact numbers were not available. © WHO/PAHO PAHO is increasing assistance to the Venezuelan Ministry of Health, following two powerful earthquakes that hit the country on 24 June. Medical aid arriving on a large scale PAHO has delivered 2.18 tons of medicines and other supplies to the Regional Health Authority of La Guaira. These include trauma kits, injectable medicines, protective equipment and 320 body bags. Four tons of additional supplies have also arrived from Panama. According to PAHO, a 48-bed field hospital is operational in La Guaira. It has four intensive care rooms and two operation rooms. Other medical teams are also reaching there. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization has released 1.5 million dollars from its emergency fund. 28 tonnes of additional medical supplies are also going to arrive from Dubai. PAHO and WHO have appealed for approximately $24 million to continue health assistance for the next six months. The growing displacement crisis is no longer limited to La Guerra. Displaced families are moving to other areas in search of safe places. The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs is coordinating relief efforts in eight provinces, including Zulia, Tachira and Anzoategi. The José María Vargas complex in La Guaira and several sports venues, including the César Nieves and Playa Grande stadiums, have become hubs for health services, food, water and protection assistance. United Nations Refugee Agency, imhrc has appealed for one crore 48 lakh 50 thousand dollars to provide shelter and necessary assistance to 30 thousand people in the next six months.
