Aid groups rush medical supplies to fill gaps in Venezuela’s quake response
In the weeks since the June 24 earthquakes, doctors in Venezuela’s coastal La Guaira state have shifted their focus from crush injuries and amputations to the compounded health problems of a displaced population.
“We’re seeing diarrhea, respiratory infections — skin diseases, because they’re exposed to the sun for many hours,” said Dr. Eduardo Celades, a senior health adviser for UNICEF. He warned of outbreak risks, including measles and additional respiratory infections. “This is going to be our priority,” Celades said.
The World Health Organization said three hospitals suffered critical structural damage and are no longer operational. Several others are only partially functional, with staff doctors and other health workers among the quake’s victims.
“The lady who was running the entire maternal pathways (maternity program) is missing, and unfortunately is presumed to have perished in the earthquake,” said Ian Clarke, incident manager for the WHO’s health emergency response in Venezuela.
For many survivors, the quake sent them into the streets with nothing. Luz Noguera, 36, was showering when the first tremor hit. She grabbed her keys and ran outside in a panic. Her asthma medication remained on her nightstand. Noguera and her family spent two weeks sleeping in tents near the wreckage of her sister’s home. “Some people don’t even have tents, so their situation is even more difficult,” she said. “They sleep on mattresses placed directly on the ground, with their children.”
International aid organizations have moved to fill gaps. The WHO has delivered six metric tons of medical supplies, with another 28 tons en route from its Dubai hub, including trauma kits, personal protective equipment and supplies to prevent communicable diseases. The Chilean and Brazilian governments have donated vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria and yellow fever. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies dispatched 36 tons of aid — hygiene kits, cleaning supplies and water filters.
Samaritan’s Purse set up a 56-bed field hospital with intensive care units and operating theaters. Project Hope established a mobile clinic in one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, where Dr. Lydia Gordon, an OB-GYN, described “thousands of people walking in the street, disoriented, who need help.”
“A team of doctors and psychologists travels there daily to provide primary healthcare to all those affected and to offer psychological first aid,” Gordon said.
The disaster has struck a health system that was already buckling. “Even prior to the earthquake, there were massive shortages, up to 37% of essential medicines in many hospitals,” Clarke said. Under the rule of ousted President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s economy collapsed under hyperinflation and oil sanctions. Medical supplies grew scarce, vaccination rates dropped and cases of measles, diphtheria and malaria surged. About a third of the nation’s doctors emigrated, according to the Venezuelan Medical Federation.
“Even in normal times, most patients are required to purchase their own medical supplies at pharmacies and shops near the hospital,” said Alejandro Arrieta, a health economist at Florida International University. “You go to the doctor, and the doctor tells you okay, you need surgery, here’s the shopping list.”
For Noguera, replacing her asthma medication became a race. She reached out to friends and family and eventually connected with the E-VEN Project, an education nonprofit that pivoted to earthquake aid. Nicolle Giraud, who runs the E-VEN Project, said volunteers searched WhatsApp groups for pharmacies in another city that had the right medication in stock and at a reachable price. Finally, a volunteer drove the medicine to Noguera personally, along with tents and other supplies.
Noguera said she feels as if she has another chance at life. “The day after the catastrophe, I took this photo with a smile,” she said.