Caracas Hospitals Resume Consultations After Earthquakes, But Hurdles Remain for Patient Care

Caracas hospitals are gradually reactivating their outpatient services following the June 24 earthquakes, though significant obstacles remain in providing comprehensive patient care. The tremors intensified pre-existing strains on Venezuela's healthcare system, which had already been struggling due to a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

For weeks after the earthquakes, major hospitals in Caracas diverted resources to treat the injured, forcing the postponement of specialized consultations, elective surgeries, and non-urgent procedures. While patient numbers from the most affected areas have decreased and some elective procedures have resumed, a return to normalcy is still distant.

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In the hospitals in the significantly affected areas, they entered this protocol of only emergency care.

A review of four Caracas hospitals revealed that the resumption of consultations is hampered by persistent issues. Patients face long waits, limited appointment slots, rescheduled visits, suspended services, and critical shortages of medical supplies, equipment, and public utilities. In some facilities, patients must arrive before dawn to secure attention, while power outages can cancel an entire day's appointments. Some specialties have waiting lists stretching for weeks, and access to laboratories, water, and electricity remains problematic.

These earthquakes accelerated an already critical health emergency. The suspension of specialized care, such as Otorhinolaryngology and Neurosurgery, along with elective surgeries, was an expected consequence. Many healthcare workers, some residing in affected areas like La Guaira, faced personal losses, including homes and family members, impacting their ability to return to work.

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Many of them live in La Guaira and we cannot demand that they go to work because they lost their homes, they lost their family members.