The entrance to the Dr. Domingo Luciani Hospital, in the El Llanito region, in Caracaswas congested this Saturday (27). Hundreds of people from different parts of the capital of Venezuela They arrived carrying water, food, non-perishable products, damp towels and other items.
There were people of all ages, as well as groups of young people answering the call to donate blood to those injured in the two earthquakes that hit the countryin addition to family members who waited, attentive to the needs of the victims admitted there.
Others consulted the lists of people admitted to the public hospital. Volunteers came and went from the hospital, as did priests, Catholic nuns and people of other religions. The mission is the same: to bring hope and accompany those who suffer after the tragedy.
The death toll in Venezuela reached 1,430, with at least 3,238 injured and 3,142 people homeless, according to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and brother of interim leader Delcy Rodríguez.
Doctor Judith Veracierto, a specialist in traumatology, states that the team is treating patients from La Guaira, declared a “disaster zone” by the regime under alinterim leadership of Delcy Rodríguez. According to her, so far around 300 patients have received emergency care.
Patients transferred from the Hospital Naval de La Guaira and the Hospital General Dr. Jesús Yerena, located in Lidice, west of Caracas, also arrived at the hospital. “We operate on between 40 and 50 patients in traumatology”, says Veracierto, referring to a group aged between 2 and 90 years.
She states that the operated patients had different types of injuries: open and closed fractures, amputations and various complications resulting from crush syndrome. “We have capacity and can continue caring for patients. Many have already been discharged and, for those who can leave the hospital, but do not have family members, we provide support to send them to shelters until their situation can be normalized”, says Veracierto.
The doctor adds that the inputs received by the collection center at Dr. Domingo Luciani Hospital come from all parts of Venezuela. In addition to food and medicine, the hospital received medical-surgical instruments.
Rubén Martínez, coordinator of the Dr. Domingo Luciani Hemato-Oncology and Radiosurgery Complex, states that this Saturday alone 170 blood donors were assisted and that, since the earthquakes, the total has already exceeded 400 donations. “We call on the population to return to this center on Monday.”
Martínez states that the country is in a contingency situation and that, as is the case in other health centers, as long as there is a need, they will continue to request blood donors.
“Thank God my daughter is alive”
Marina Garavito was taking a break in the lower part of the hospital. She says that her 30-year-old daughter was injured at home, in Guaicoco, in the Petare region. “During the earthquakes, we were trying to protect ourselves. We ran, and a wall fell on my daughter. The impact of the fall broke a rib, bruised her face, dislocated her left arm, and an iron bar hit her hip and head.”
Before arriving at El Llanito Hospital, they passed by Pérez León Hospital, located a few kilometers away. The patient underwent an ultrasound, which identified internal bleeding. “Then we came here. She had a CT scan two or three times, was taken to the operating room and operated on,” he adds. The patient is a mother of three children and remains conscious.
“Thank God my daughter is alive. We want to say thank you, despite all the sadness we feel in the face of this situation. There are so many homeless people, so many people who at some point will no longer be here. It’s the first time we’ve experienced something like this in this generation”, says Garavito.
Spiritual assistance
Alejandra is a young Catholic from the Christian Charitable Association Promoting Integral Development. She was near the hospital emergency room next to the image of Our Lady of Encounter. She said that she and other nuns provide spiritual support in the face of the psychological consequences of the tragedy.
“The sisters have been following several patients, including a 21-year-old young man who fell from the ninth floor of a building in La Guaira. There were gas cylinders that exploded in the place where he fell. He is miraculously alive and suffered burns all over his body,” he reports.
She also mentions the case of a woman who was visiting family in La Guaira. Everyone died except her. “She found a neighbor, but has not yet been able to locate her family,” he adds.
Alejandra highlights that “there are people in a very serious condition” after the earthquakes and that, therefore, they organize themselves to accompany them through the ordeal.
A man approached the reporter at the hospital and asked not to be identified. He said he was there accompanying a neighbor who needed surgery after being hit by a falling wall.
In his assessment, the emergency situation was beyond the control of the interim administration of Delcy Rodríguez, which was preventing the arrival of resources. He also praised the humility and solidarity of the Venezuelan people and said that these characteristics are lacking in the country’s leadership.
