A sprawling country club in the affluent suburbs of Caracas has been converted into a field hospital for victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the capital on Tuesday. But local activists and health workers are raising questions about the facility's true ownership and financing.
The Los Palos Grandes Country Club, a gated community of manicured lawns and swimming pools, now houses more than 200 injured patients in what was once the club’s ballroom. Makeshift operating theatres have been set up in the squash courts, while the golf course serves as a helipad for emergency evacuations.
Sources inside the facility confirm that the operation is being run by a private health conglomerate linked to a former government official. The same firm, documents uncovered by this reporter show, has ties to offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. The question is: who is really paying for this, and what do they stand to gain?
“It started as a small NGO effort, but within 48 hours it became a full-blown medical centre,” said a nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But there are people in suits walking around who don’t look like doctors. They’re making phone calls, taking notes. It feels like a takeover.”
The government has publicly praised the initiative as an example of private-public partnership in the wake of the tragedy. But off the record, several officials have expressed concern about the expanding influence of private interests in disaster relief. “We have no contracts, no oversight,” one health ministry insider admitted. “This is a blank cheque.”
The country club’s transformation comes as the official death toll from the earthquake has surpassed 2,000. Hospitals in Caracas are overwhelmed, with many patients being treated in corridors or turned away. The new field hospital has reportedly treated over 500 patients since opening, but critics argue that it is creating a two-tier system where only those with connections receive adequate care.
The company at the centre of the controversy is MedCare International. According to leaked internal emails, the firm was granted a ten-year lease on the country club for just one Bolivar per month, shortly before the earthquake. The lease agreement was signed by a former minister of health who is now a director of MedCare. The deal was never made public.
A source inside the company insisted that the conversion was purely humanitarian, but acknowledged that the facility would remain open after the crisis as a private hospital. “This is a long-term investment in the community,” they said.
But for volunteers on the ground, the whiff of corruption is overpowering. “We’re saving lives, sure. But whose lives are we really saving?” said a surgeon. “You don’t set up a hospital in a country club without expecting something in return.”
