New IRC assessment finds critical resource gap in Venezuela as earthquake emergency medical teams wind down

Caracas, Venezuela, September 1, 2026 - A new needs assessment by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) finds that international emergency medical teams supporting Venezuela's earthquake response are completing their deployments on schedule, but with many medical facilities either damaged or non-operational, the country's health, protection and water and sanitation systems are not yet ready to absorb the resulting gap. Active international medical teams fell from 12 in mid-July to five as of August 10, and are projected to end entirely by late September.

The assessment also found deep and largely unaddressed protection needs among displaced families. Nearly 80% of people surveyed named emotional distress as their top concern, and almost all said they need psychosocial support that is not available to them. Of the facilities surveyed, only one reported providing mental health services and even those are only partially operational. Reports of lost documentation, difficulty accessing public services and gaps in safe reporting channels for gender-based violence and child protection are widespread, with dedicated protection services reported in only a small fraction of the areas assessed.

"We are in the middle of a precarious transition," said Nicole Kast, IRC Country Director for Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. "The teams that came to help are leaving on schedule, but the country's hospitals aren't ready to pick up where they left off. If we don't invest now in the local health system, the families who survived the earthquakes will be the ones who pay for that gap."

As international teams leave, the toll is shifting to a national hospital network still recovering from the earthquakes. Hospital José María Vargas has just eight operational beds for 96 hospitalized patients. Pariata Peripheral Hospital's bed capacity has dropped from 108 to 35, and Macuto's maternity hospital has been fully evacuated. Several health facilities are facing shortages of water, electricity, and essential supplies that limit their ability to prevent and treat communicable diseases, including reported cases of chickenpox and diarrhea. A recent assessment of one national emergency medical team found it meets only about a quarter of World Health Organization readiness standards, with the largest shortfalls in water, sanitation and logistical self-sufficiency.

Displaced families are also facing unsafe conditions in shelters. At one site housing 283 people, including 60 children, only 14 working toilets are available which is near the maximum ratio recommended in emergencies, leaving no margin for malfunction or an increase in population. Several shelters reported broken locks, poor lighting, no pest control and limited or no privacy divisions, hindering safe and dignified use of the facilities.

The IRC is calling on the global community to invest now in primary health care, protection services and safe water and sanitation in the hardest-hit communities before international medical support disappears entirely.

IRC Venezuela continues to refine its response to the earthquakes with the anticipated reduction in capacity in mind. As international medical teams withdraw, the demand for specialized care, hospitalization and complex referrals will inevitably increase. Alongside mobile clinics that meet patients where they are, the IRC is prioritizing the restoration of primary care capacity and the continuity of referral pathways to help strengthen local networks as they rebuild.