UK steps up support for Venezuela following devastating earthquakes

• UK deploys Emergency Medical Team and field hospital to earthquake-affected areas
• UK field hospital to deliver life-saving primary healthcare, including maternal and paediatric services, treating up to 100 patients a day
• UK has matched £2 million in donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to support urgent humanitarian relief in Venezuela

The UK is scaling up its humanitarian response to Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes on 24 June, mobilising an additional £3.8 million in emergency funding – on top of £2 million announced last week – to support life-saving efforts and provide urgent humanitarian assistance.

The UK has matched £ for £ donations from the British public to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to the value of £2 million, helping trusted UK charities reach those most in need with food, shelter and essential supplies.

Alongside this, the UK is deploying its Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) to deliver lifesaving healthcare to communities devastated by the two powerful earthquakes. Following an invitation from the Venezuelan Ministry of Health, the team will establish a fully equipped field hospital in one of the worst-affected areas.

Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean Chris Elmore said:

The scale of destruction caused by these earthquakes is devastating, and the UK is stepping up support for the people of Venezuela.

Alongside our deployment of specialist search and rescue teams and emergency humanitarian funding, we have matched £2 million in public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal and deploying the UK Emergency Medical Team and field hospital, helping deliver life-saving healthcare and support to communities hit hardest by this disaster.

The UK stands with those affected and remains committed to helping save lives and supporting recovery in the weeks ahead.

Staffed by a highly skilled and trained clinical team, the UK EMT will deliver emergency primary healthcare to help relieve pressure on overwhelmed local health services. The UK field hospital is fully self-sufficient and will deploy with its own infrastructure, medicines and supplies, with capacity to treat up to 100 patients per day on an outpatient basis.

The hospital will focus on urgent primary healthcare needs, including chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart conditions that require continuous care. The team will also be treating minor injuries, stabilising patients and providing rehabilitation support, whilst also delivering vital maternal, newborn and child healthcare services.

To address critical gaps in local capacity, the field hospital will include a 20-bed ward providing short-stay inpatient care, alongside basic emergency maternal and newborn care to manage common complications and support safe deliveries.

The deployment follows a rapid UK assessment which found that hospitals in affected areas are overwhelmed and that access to essential healthcare, particularly primary and maternal care, has been severely disrupted.

Background

• the British Government’s UK Emergency Medical Team is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered by UK-Med, a Manchester-based humanitarian medical charity
• the UK EMT brings experience from responding to major global emergencies, including the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and the conflict in Gaza, and will support local health services through the critical early phase of the response