For more than two years the humanitarian medical organization Doctors without borders (MSF) has worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Vargas Hospital in Caracas in the areas of emergencies (adults and pediatrics), shock trauma, Coronary care unit, and intensive care unit and, since 2020, in the management area. and care for covid-19 cases, in order to strengthen the health structure and the quality of care provided, as well as to reinforce adherence to national medical protocols.
Due to the emergence of the pandemic, Doctors without borders It also provided support to the Vargas Hospital in Caracas through the creation of screening and triage circuits specially designed for the care of people with symptoms related to covid-19, and the fitting out of a hospitalization room and an iIntensive therapy unit. for the management of severe and critical cases due to the disease. The implementation of the mental health care component aimed at patients and their families, as well as health promotion, have been some of the outstanding features in dealing with the pandemic.
Doctors Without Borders in Caracas
“We are satisfied with the achievements obtained during the work plan that Doctors without borders developed together with the Ministry for Health, because now the hospital has a functional installed capacity that will be very positive in terms of quality medical care for patients”, explained Helena Cardellach, general coordinator of Doctors without borders for the Caracas projects.
During the time that the organization has been collaborating in the Vargas Hospital in Caracas, 15,123 medical consultations, 7,820 hospitalizations, 81,669 emergency consultations, 3,166 surgeries and 4,575 mental health consultations have been carried out. Regarding support in the national response to the pandemic, 19,065 people have been treated in the respiratory triage area related to covid-19 and 1,285 were treated under the criteria of positive cases.
In this collaboration period, a training plan by area and professional category (doctors, nurses, stretcher bearers) has been given by the staff Doctors without borders. Additionally, the mental health team has facilitated psychosocial support sessions for health personnel who work in these departments.
In collaboration with the hospital management, it has been possible to make significant progress in infection prevention and control, as well as improvements in the hospital’s electrical systems and repairs of biomedical equipment, such as oxygen concentrators, vital signs monitors, anesthesia machines and fans. The hospital now also has a continuous water supply, thanks to the structural adjustments made in the area.
On the other hand, one of the components designed and consolidated as the central axis of the activities of Doctors without borders at the Vargas Hospital in Caracas has been the attention to survivors of sexual violence, this type of aggression being a medical emergency. This is how, during 2021, 280 survivors of sexual violence were treated, through medical and psychological care. The United Nations Population Fund (Unpfa), through a local non-governmental organization and through its support to the Ministry of Health, will continue this type of comprehensive care for survivors of sexual violence in the hospital since March.
Once the term of the collaboration has expired, Doctors without borders has made a donation of medical supplies to cover the needs for the coming months in the emergency area and will maintain the financial incentives to the hospital for its staff until May.
Doctors without borders It has been working in Venezuela since 2015 and maintains its operations in Caracas, Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Bolívar and Táchira, in a neutral, impartial and independent manner, so that vulnerable populations in the country have access to free and quality health services.
With information from a press release.
