Renal patients in Barquisimeto protest hemodialysis machine shortages

Renal patients and their families in Barquisimeto, Lara state, held protests to demand new hemodialysis machines. The demonstrations follow the implementation of a fourth night shift at the El Ángel Dialysis Unit, a measure officials claim is a response to equipment shortages rather than a solution to the underlying crisis.

Héctor Daniel Colmenárez, president of the Fundación para el Paciente Renal (Fundaprel), stated that approximately 1,100 patients in Lara are affected by failing equipment. He warned that the current situation is unsustainable, noting that machines frequently break down, adding to a growing ‘cemetery of machines.’

Beyond equipment shortages, protesters highlighted several critical issues:

• Transportation: The new night shifts require dedicated transport for both patients and medical staff. • Infrastructure: There is an urgent demand to complete the dialysis unit in Siquisique (Urdaneta municipality) to prevent patients from having to travel long distances, especially as recent rains have made rural access roads impassable. • Medication: Transplant patients face difficulties accessing high-cost immunosuppressant drugs, often relying on donations from relatives abroad.

Advocates are calling on the National Executive and the Instituto Venezolano de los Seguros Sociales (Ivss) to prioritize the renewal of the region's technological medical park and address the logistical challenges facing rural patients.