This Appeal seeks a total of some 50 million Swiss francs to enable the IFRC to support the Venezuelan Health Centres, including Venezuelan Red Cross Society (VRC) health network to deliver, in line with regulatory standards, assistance and support to some 650,000 people for 12 months, with a focus on health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) related activities. The planned response reflects the current situation which is evolving, and will be adjusted based on further assessments, contingencies and emerging issues. Due to the pressing need to expand the provision of health and WASH services, activities that have not been covered by the IFRC Venezuela Country Office Plan will be included under this Appeal, and the Country Office Plan will be reviewed to ensure full complementarity and avoid duplications. More details will be available in the Plan of Action.
Situation and Venezuelan Red Cross response
The country has faced several challenges in recent years. In 2019 there has been a series of events that increased the need for actions aimed at strengthening efforts to support capacities to meet the demand for health care and other sectors such as water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, food safety and nutrition.
Various national, governmental, and international organizations are developing projects to support affected families. However, needs continue to increase, and humanitarian actions are required to meet the most urgent needs in the Venezuelan context.
Access to medical equipment, medicines and medical consumables in hospitals has been reduced, including in the Venezuela Red Cross (VRC) health network. Another challenge is the rapid deterioration of equipment and accessories to assist the population that requires health and care services. Medical equipment needs replacement and urgent maintenance to cover the high demand for medical services, throughout the wider public health care system, including VRC health network. Also, national power outages have caused the deterioration of the functioning conditions in the health facilities, which generates an immediate need to invest in a better operative integrity in case of presenting or prolonging the difficulties of having continuous electrical sources in public health installations. Medical equipment, including power generators, are particularly in demand.
According to reports from VRC, health services particularly affected are those attending patients with chronic or lifethreatening diseases. Medical items are not available on the local market, or only in a very limited quantity, and lifesaving treatments are lacking (especially insulin, ARV for HIV, diabetes, hypertension drugs or cancer, among others). There is a shortage of medical supplies and access to antibiotics, analgesics, nutritional supplements, and contraceptives is limited.
There has been a re-emergence of diseases that were previously under control. Provision of essential health care to the most vulnerable communities is required to significantly reduce cases and prevent the spread of infections including malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, measles or diphtheria.
The current context has diminished the capacity of health services due to the lack of health personnel (mainly physicians and nurses, including also lab technicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, etc.), which is combined with low salary rates, and the hyperinflation which made it very difficult for patients to comply with treatments, undergo surgical procedures, and treat acute diseases (breast cancer, leukemia, hemophilia, etc.).