The hospital network in Vargas state, the region most affected by June's earthquakes, was already weakened before the seismic event due to the complex humanitarian emergency the country was experiencing. The collapse of health centre infrastructure and the loss of medical personnel have left healthcare provision in critical condition, according to a report accessed by Efecto Cocuyo.
The Dr. José María Vargas Hospital, one of the most important in the state, suffered masonry collapses in main corridors, cracking of support columns in administrative areas and complete failures in internal ventilation ducts. Faced with the risk of internal collapse, authorities set up three field hospitals in the vicinity of the centre to handle emergencies, according to the document reviewed.
At the Rafael Medina Jiménez Hospital in Pariata, the seismic movement broke main water pipes that flooded critical areas and cracked the walls of the emergency zone. The only operational ward in Pariata was rendered unusable by dust and debris contamination, forcing the massive transfer of wounded to Caracas in private vehicles during the first days after the earthquake.
Before the earthquakes, both hospitals were operating with fragile infrastructure. The Vargas Hospital functioned with just two wards enabled for strict emergencies, with shortages of anaesthetics and surgical material exceeding 70% and elective surgeries suspended indefinitely, the report stated. In Pariata it had only one active surgical ward, limited by recurring air conditioning failures, and patients' families had to cover costs from sutures to surgical clothing kits.
By 12 August both complexes were operating at an estimated capacity of between 20 and 30%, limited to triage, observation and emergencies in tents set up at their entrances. Jaime Lorenzo, director of the NGO Médicos Unidos, noted that the Pariata Hospital had been the main emergency response channel in the state, but its operating theatres suffered severe structural damage during the earthquake and have not yet been rehabilitated.
