Key facts
- Venezuela's healthcare system is strained following two powerful earthquakes.
- At least three hospitals are non-operational, and six others are damaged.
- Operational health facilities are experiencing overcrowding and surgical backlogs.
- Displaced populations face risks of measles, dengue, yellow fever, and malaria.
- Over 1,700 deaths and 5,000 injuries have been reported, with many more missing.
Venezuela's healthcare system is under extreme pressure following two powerful earthquakes, with damaged hospitals and missing staff, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. Aid groups are warning of a humanitarian crisis as infectious diseases spread among displaced populations sleeping in the open or in unsanitary shelters.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier stated that the country's health facilities are operating beyond capacity, dealing with a surge of trauma cases. The earthquakes damaged or compromised 38 hospitals nationwide, with WHO evaluating 21 of them. Three are no longer operating, six sustained damage, and the rest are buckling under the strain. Specialist doctors, including those in maternity care, are missing, contributing to chaotic service delivery, overcrowding, surgical backlogs, and a breakdown in biosafety measures.
The government has reported over 1,700 deaths and 5,000 injuries, though experts suggest the actual toll is likely higher. The damage to infrastructure has complicated efforts to determine the number of missing people, with one non-governmental database listing over 50,000 missing.