The first shipment of medical supplies donated by Brazil to Venezuela arrived in the country last Saturday (10). The cargo totals 40 tons and is expected to meet the needs of Venezuela’s National Hemodialysis and Nephrology Program within the country’s public health system.
During the U.S. attack on Caracas, which ended with the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s largest medication distribution center was hit. Approximately 85 containers storing dialysis supplies were destroyed in the bombing, triggering a severe shortage.
In a letter sent by Brazil’s Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, to Venezuelan Health Minister Magaly Gutiérrez, the Brazilian government stated that it could not “stand idly by” in the face of a military attack that disrupted healthcare services for thousands of people.
According to the letter sent by the Brazilian government, more than 16,000 Venezuelan patients are now at “risk of death” due to the destruction of the distribution center. Padilha also noted that Brazil will work alongside the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to buy additional supplies that are not currently available in Brazil.
“We will continue dialogue and cooperation in our mission of peace, solidarity, and defense of life, remaining ready for further joint actions that strengthen the health of the Brazilian, Venezuelan, and Latin American peoples,” the letter concludes.
According to the Venezuelan Society of Nephrology, around 5,300 Venezuelans depended on dialysis or transplants to survive in 2025, a number that could increase due to shortages of basic medical equipment. Experts interviewed by BdF attribute the lack of supplies primarily to the U.S.-imposed blockade on Venezuela’s economy.
The Brazilian shipment includes 110,000 treatment kits, dialyzers, catheters, and essential solutions to maintain care for kidney patients. Priority is being given to the continuity of treatment for children and the elderly.
Brazil’s ambassador to Venezuela, Glivânia Maria de Oliveira, attended the reception of the first shipment on Venezuelan soil. She was accompanied by Gabriela Jiménez Ramírez, Venezuela’s sectoral vice president for Science, Technology, Ecosocialism, and Health, as well as PAHO representative Armando Di Negri.
The shipment arrived less than 48 hours after the Brazilian government announced a plan to send a total of 100 tons of medicines and medical supplies.
Made possible through donations from university and philanthropic hospitals across Brazil, the initiative relied on the fact that Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) maintains secure stockpiles for this type of treatment.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Venezuela supplied Brazil with 130,000 cubic meters of oxygen to mitigate the collapse of oxygen supplies in the state of Amazonas.
