Caracas, Venezuela – The country’s public health system is buckling under a surge of patients suffering from panic attacks and bone fractures, according to multiple medical sources. Doctors at the Hospital Universitario de Caracas reported a 40% increase in admissions for acute anxiety and stress-related conditions since the beginning of the year. Concurrently, orthopaedic wards are at capacity, treating a rise in fractures linked to falls and accidents caused by power outages and dilapidated infrastructure.
“We are seeing people in their twenties arriving with symptoms typical of a heart attack: chest pain, hyperventilation, numbness. But it is panic,” said Dr. Isabel Rojas, a psychologist at the hospital. “The constant insecurity, hyperinflation, and lack of basic services have created a chronic state of alert that manifests physically.” Venezuela’s economic collapse has led to widespread malnutrition, fuel shortages, and unreliable electricity, exacerbating mental health struggles. The government’s official statistics on mental health are scarce, but non-governmental organisations estimate that depression and anxiety rates have tripled since 2014.
The fracture crisis is more straightforward. Without reliable public transport, many Venezuelans walk long distances on crumbling sidewalks or use improvised bicycles. Night-time blackouts increase the risk of falls. “We perform at least five surgeries a day for hip and wrist fractures, mostly in elderly patients,” said Dr. Luis Mendoza, an orthopaedic surgeon. “Our supplies of plaster and surgical screws are running low. We cannot keep up.”
The health ministry, in a brief statement, acknowledged “increased demand” but attributed the phenomena to “weather-related accidents and global mental health trends.” It urged citizens to use emergency services responsibly. Critics dismissed the explanation as insufficient. “This is a systematic failure of the state to provide security and basic amenities,” said Dr. Rojas. “Panic is a rational response to an irrational environment.”
International aid organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, have been operating in the country but face restrictions from the Maduro government. The dual burden of psychological and physical trauma underscores a broader crisis: Venezuela’s human infrastructure is fragmenting. As one nurse put it, “We are treating symptoms, not causes. The cause is everything.”
