Problematic of Intensive Care Units in Venezuela

Abstract

Critical care corresponds to the contemporary stage and includes automated multi-parameter monitoring for the management of patients with multi-organ impairment, complementary tests, devices for basic and advanced bedside support, and a multidisciplinary clinical team. Insufficient financing and inefficiencies in the allocation and use of available resources for health care represent important challenges in moving towards equity and financial protection. In fact, the average public spending on health (GPS) in the Region of the Americas is around 4% of the gross domestic product (GDP), a very low level compared to the 8% that the countries of the Americas allocate on average. The sixth edition of the Venezuela National Hospital Survey (ENH), collects information from 40 hospitals in the 24 states of the country. In the National Survey of Hospitals 2018, it can be seen in the Operative / Non-existent services line that 20% of the units are inoperative in Intensive Care Units for adults, 70% have intermittent failures and only 9% are 100% functional. . In relation to Pediatric Intensive Care, it is observed that 4% are inoperative and 95% have intermittent failures and the Emergency areas 5% are inoperative and 95% have intermittent failures. During 2019, both adult and pediatric Intensive Care Units maintained a pattern of operation between 10 and 20% of closed units, between 65 and 70% of open units and between 10 and 15% with intermittent operation.