AECID’s START field hospital returns after treating more than 7,200 people in Venezuela in one month

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has thanked the 90 members of the START team from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) deployed in Caracas for their work; the second rotation of the team was welcomed this Friday by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, on their arrival at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

Their arrival in Madrid marks the end of the START field hospital operation, whose mission was recognised by Minister Albares at the farewell ceremony for the first rotation of volunteers, alongside Her Majesty the Queen.

START has been deployed for a month across two consecutive rotations of volunteer staff to assist the population affected by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela in late June. Having treated more than 7,200 people, the Minister acknowledged the excellent work carried out by the professionals at the AECID's field hospital, who "convey the solidarity of the Spanish people to the sister nation of Venezuela".

Spain's response has mobilised 90 volunteer professionals across the mission as a whole, including healthcare, logistics and technical staff from various autonomous communities, who have worked in coordination with the Venezuelan authorities, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

Between 4 and 20 July, the field hospital remained operational in Caracas's Parque del Este and treated 3,463 patients, carrying out 4,290 medical consultations across various specialities, including general practice, paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, minor surgery and mental health - one of the most pressing needs in the wake of the emergency. Furthermore, the high volume of people forced the setting up of a preliminary triage point where a further 2,962 people were assessed and referred, bringing the total number of people treated during the deployment to 7,252.

In total, the hospital treated people aged between 3 days and 99 years, of whom 62 per cent were women and 38 per cent men, including 595 people over the age of 65, 116 children under the age of 4 and 109 pregnant women. The team also identified and treated 315 particularly vulnerable people, including children, displaced persons and families who had lost their homes. Two in five patients sought treatment for problems directly or indirectly related to the effects of the earthquakes.

Of the 90 professionals who made up the mission, 56 were healthcare staff, 24 were specialists in logistics, catering and infrastructure management, and 10 were coordination staff from the AECID and TRAGSA. Among them were A&E doctors, paediatricians, surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, obstetricians and gynaecologists, nurses, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, hospital pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory and radiology technicians, as well as specialists in preventive medicine and public health. All of them form part of the AECID's roster of professionals, capable of being deployed within 72 hours when a country requests international assistance. To make this possible, agreements have been signed with the Ministry of Health, the Madrid City Council Fire Service, the NGO CESAL and Médicos del Mundo, amongst others.

The mission featured a high proportion of female participants: 48 women and 42 men, with women accounting for almost seven out of every ten healthcare professionals deployed. The teams came from various autonomous communities, with professionals from Andalusia, Aragon, the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Catalonia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Community of Madrid, the Chartered Community of Navarre and the Basque Country.

As part of the conclusion of the operation, the AECID has donated medicines and medical supplies worth 50,000 euros to the Venezuelan Ministry of Health, in line with the priorities set by the Pan American Health Organisation.

Furthermore, the AECID has deli​vered construction materials worth 302,500 euros to be used for the creation and improvement of temporary shelters for families who lost their homes as a result of the earthquakes. The donation, made through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, includes waterproof tarpaulins, zinc sheets, timber and tools for repairing roofs, and will help improve the living conditions of thousands of affected people.

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