The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched a US$24 million appeal to support health services and early recovery efforts in Venezuela following the powerful earthquakes that struck the country last week.
The regional health agency said the funding will support the first six months of the emergency response, including the delivery of lifesaving medical care, restoration of essential health services, disease surveillance and outbreak prevention, continued access to medicines and vaccines, and efforts to rebuild the operational capacity of the health system in the areas worst affected by the disaster.
PAHO said the appeal is intended to assist about 700,000 people living in the hardest-hit municipalities while strengthening referral hospitals and other health facilities serving millions more whose access to healthcare has been disrupted.
‘While search and rescue efforts continue, the health emergency is entering a new phase,’ PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said.
‘Thousands of injured people require ongoing care, hospitals remain under enormous pressure, and the risk of disease outbreaks is increasing. This appeal will help save lives today while supporting the recovery of essential health services for the months ahead.’
According to PAHO, two earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck north-central Venezuela on June 24, causing widespread destruction in densely populated areas already facing humanitarian challenges.
Citing official reports, the organisation said that, as of June 29, the earthquakes had claimed more than 1,943 lives and injured more than 10,500 people.
PAHO said hospitals continue to operate beyond capacity while shortages of medicines, surgical supplies, laboratory reagents and critical medical equipment are threatening the continuity of essential services.
The agency also warned that damage to health facilities, population displacement, overcrowded shelters, disruptions to vaccine services, and interruptions to water and sanitation systems have heightened the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable and other communicable diseases. It added that affected communities and healthcare workers are also facing growing mental health and psychosocial challenges.
Since the earthquakes, PAHO said it has activated its Incident Management System and Regional Response Team, deployed emergency specialists, assessed priority hospitals and coordinated the deployment of international Emergency Medical Teams.
The organisation has also dispatched trauma kits, medicines and emergency equipment from its Strategic Reserve in Panama and is supporting the procurement of additional vaccines, medicines, laboratory supplies and other essential medical commodities.
The appeal will finance six priority areas over the next six months, including emergency trauma and surgical care, restoration of health services, procurement of medical supplies, disease prevention and surveillance, mental health and psychosocial support, and strengthening health sector coordination and the transition to early recovery.
Barbosa called on governments, international financial institutions, development partners, philanthropic organisations and the private sector to support the appeal, saying early investment would help save lives and reduce the risk of further public health emergencies.