Venezuela
With the socioeconomic crisis in Venezuela showing no sign of abating in 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continued to fill gaps in healthcare and rehabilitate health facilities across the country.
Our activities in 2023
consultations for contraceptive services
antenatal consultations
malaria cases treated
people treated for sexual violence
Throughout the year, MSF teams supported medical services in health centres and collaborated with local authorities to rehabilitate their electricity supply, waste management, and water and sanitation. We also donated medical supplies and conducted staff training.
Our medical activities included general healthcare, sexual and reproductive health services, care for victims and survivors of sexual violence, diagnosis and treatment of malaria, mental health support, and health promotion.
In Anzoátegui and Bolívar states, we worked to increase the provision of sexual and reproductive health consultations. Key services included family planning, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and assisting births.
We also continued our malaria programme in Bolívar state, where we have been working for seven years to reduce the high incidence of the disease, focusing on early diagnosis and treatment, vector control, and health promotion. In addition, we conducted workshops with technical training for national malaria programme staff in Sifontes municipality.
In Delta Amacuro, a densely forested, difficult-to-reach region crossed by numerous rivers and waterways, we sent a multidisciplinary team to increase access to general healthcare for the mostly Indigenous communities living there. These communities suffer from a range of preventable diseases caused by the precarious conditions in which they live, and the multiple barriers they face in accessing healthcare. Diseases include waterborne diseases such as parasitosis and diarrhoea, malaria and other diseases spread by insects, respiratory infections, and malnutrition. A lack of ante- and postnatal care also increases the risks for pregnant women and their babies. The team made great efforts to overcome language and access barriers and adapt care to local culture. Our teams worked to raise awareness on best health practices, proper hygiene and disease prevention.
In 2023, we closed our project in Amazonas state after working to strengthen health services in several urban and rural areas, including by increasing the capacity to provide outpatient care. During our four years in Amazonas, our teams also ran community-based health education sessions and reinforced preventive healthcare practices