Aid groups warn Venezuela’s healthcare system is near its limit

Aid organisations warned on Tuesday that Venezuela's fragile healthcare system is being pushed to breaking point nearly a week after two powerful earthquakes, as damaged and understaffed hospitals struggle to cope with thousands of injured people while the risk of infectious disease outbreaks grows.

Meanwhile, the pace of rescues has slowed sharply. Government figures show that 5,380 people were rescued during the first two days after the earthquakes, but only four survivors were found alive on Monday.

By Tuesday afternoon, the only person rescued was a toddler who had been trapped beneath a collapsed building for six days, according to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly.

The official figures do not include numerous rescues carried out by volunteers, who began searching for relatives and neighbours before international rescue teams arrived.

The government has put the death toll at more than 1,900, although experts believe the actual number is considerably higher as more bodies continue to be recovered and morgues struggle to cope.

Hospitals overwhelmed as disease risks rise

The United Nations said the earthquakes generated an estimated 1.2 million tonnes of debris and warned that thousands of displaced people sleeping outdoors or in overcrowded shelters face growing health risks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Venezuela's healthcare system, already weakened by decades of underinvestment and years of economic crisis, is now operating well beyond capacity.

"The Venezuelan healthcare system is under extreme pressure, with facilities operating beyond the capacity required to manage the surge in trauma cases," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.

Government officials say more than 15,800 people have been directly affected by the earthquakes, a figure reflecting the number of displaced people, according to the UN refugee agency.

Many newly homeless residents are sleeping in cars, parks and temporary shelters.

Food shortages have become widespread in the worst-hit coastal state of La Guaira, while inadequate sanitation has heightened concerns about outbreaks of preventable diseases.

WHO warned that low vaccination coverage has increased the risk of measles outbreaks, while poor sanitation creates favourable conditions for waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue, yellow fever and malaria.

According to the government, 38 hospitals across the country have been damaged or otherwise affected by the earthquakes.

WHO has assessed 21 of those facilities so far. Three are no longer operating, six have sustained significant damage and the remainder are struggling to cope with the influx of patients.

The organisation also reported shortages of specialist doctors, including maternity care staff in La Guaira, compounding existing challenges in a country from which around eight million people — including many healthcare professionals — have emigrated in recent years.

Healthcare services have become increasingly chaotic, with overcrowded hospitals, growing surgical backlogs and deteriorating infection-control measures, Lindmeier said.

Aid agencies including the Red Cross and the World Food Programme have established temporary assistance centres in La Guaira and neighbouring communities, distributing food, medicines, hygiene supplies and face masks.

Uncertainty over missing people

With the government releasing limited information about victims and no official count of missing people, many Venezuelans have turned to WhatsApp groups and online databases run by non-governmental organisations to search for relatives.

One such database listed more than 43,000 people as missing.

In his daily televised update, Rodríguez said the official death toll had risen to 1,943, while 10,571 people had been injured. He urged the public to rely only on official information.

He said authorities estimated that around 30,000 people had been in the worst-affected areas of La Guaira state when the earthquakes struck, with approximately 20,000 either escaping or later being rescued.

However, independent estimates suggest the disaster's overall impact is far greater.

NASA estimates that nearly 59,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, while UNICEF said around 680,000 children across Venezuela are in need of humanitarian assistance following the earthquakes.