- 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,
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.
Notes to Editors
- 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.
- Imagery can be found here: FCDO
