The U.S. military strike on Venezuela in early January bombed a medical supply warehouse in the northern port city of La Guaira, placing thousands of Venezuelans who rely on dialysis at risk of losing life-sustaining treatment.
The destroyed warehouse in La Guaira was a national storage facility for dialysis and kidney disease treatment supplies. The U.S. strike on Jan 3 wiped out medical supplies sufficient for three months of treatment for kidney patients across Venezuela.
Patients at the local Dr. Alfredo Machado Popular Clinic feared that their life-saving treatment would be interrupted.
"At first, I thought we wouldn't be able to receive dialysis that day (Jan 3). But the technical and nursing staff acted quickly, and we were still treated on the day of the explosion," said Jomer Toro, who has been undergoing dialysis for nine years.
"Of course, [the bombing put patients' lives at risk.] These supplies give us a chance to stay alive and are very important to us. They are essential for dialysis. Some patients need treatment three times a week, and some even require continuous dialysis," said Cristian Mujica, who needs lifelong dialysis for end-stage chronic kidney failure.
The medical supplies stored at the clinic typically last about one week. After the U.S. attacks, the clinic activated an emergency plan, reducing dialysis frequency and securing replacement supplies within a week to ensure treatment continuity.
"We stored medical supplies [in the bombed warehouse] for 9,000 kidney patients nationwide, enough for three months. So [after the bombing,] we had to activate an emergency plan. We resumed normal dialysis frequency 72 hours after receiving new supplies. During the period, dialysis treatment still didn't stopped, and now treatment is 100 percent guaranteed. No patients developed complications," said Nelida Lossada, director of the clinic.
To ensure dialysis treatment for about 9,000 Venezuelan kidney patients, the country received medical aid from Brazil. So far, Venezuela has received nearly 100 tons of aid, with an additional 200 tons expected in the coming months.
"War is never a good thing. [Bombs] fall somewhere, and they affect you and your family. It's hard to understand why you would be attacked for no reason, just for oil. It's absurd. Everything could be resolved through dialogue," Lossada said with tears in her eyes.
U.S. strike disrupts dialysis supplies, puts Venezuelan kidney patients at risk
