The Brazilian Navy has begun operating a mobile hospital in La Guaira, the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela. A Folha reporter followed the facility's first day of operation, when local residents were still arriving cautiously at the tents displaying the Brazilian flag.
The hospital has a high treatment capacity: up to 150 consultations per day, a surgical center, and up to ten inpatient beds for stays of up to 48 hours, allowing it to handle low-, medium-, and high-complexity cases.Commander Leonel Mariano said his environmental disaster response team was in São José da Barra, in the state of Minas Gerais, assisting the state Civil Defense when it was mobilized overnight to Venezuela, where it also quickly set up the field hospital.
The mission currently includes 49 military personnel—38 men and 11 women—and another 46 are expected to arrive soon. The unit receives support from the Venezuelan government, which provides water and fuel, but the military aims to become self-sufficient so Caracas can direct its resources to other areas.
Asked about the language barrier, since not all military personnel speak Spanish, one of them replied: "When you bring together the willingness to help and the willingness to be helped, everything works out."
