Caracas Hospitals Overwhelmed by Earthquake Victims from La Guaira; Staff Work with Limited Resources

Caracas hospitals are struggling to cope as hundreds of injured individuals are transferred from La Guaira, where the healthcare system collapsed after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

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We have been treating patients with what little or much they could have.

Emergency rooms and waiting areas in major hospitals like Dr. Miguel Pérez Carreño, Periférico de Catia, José María Vargas, and Domingo Luciani are packed. Families anxiously await news about their relatives who survived the disaster. Civil collaboration has become crucial amid the crisis, with many people donating food, juices, water, and scarce medical supplies.

Dr. Rodolfo Salcedo, a resident at Pérez Carreño, stated that the medical team has been providing care "with what little or much they could have." He added, "Thanks to God, all the staff, state institutions, families, and people who have brought donations have facilitated some of the supplies we need because we have received many patients. The good thing is that everyone has been attended to."

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Thanks to God, all the staff, state institutions, families, and people who have brought donations have facilitated some of the supplies we need because we have received many patients. The good thing is that everyone has been attended to.

Dr. Lujuanis Ortega, head of the morning emergency at the same hospital, described the situation as overwhelming, with critical areas like trauma shock, traumatology, neurosurgery, and general and cardiovascular surgery operating at full capacity. "We have been full, but the truth is that people have come to help," she said.

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We have been full, but the truth is that people have come to help.

Ortega appealed for continued public support, highlighting the urgent need for supplies in the pediatric ward and for high-turnover items. "Pulse oximeters, digital thermometers for children, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, antihypertensives, gauze, gloves, masks, and syringes are running out quite quickly," she warned. The hospital also has a surplus of clothing, which they are organizing for distribution to affected individuals and those in shelters.

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Pulse oximeters, digital thermometers for children, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, antihypertensives, gauze, gloves, masks, and syringes are running out quite quickly.