International forum discusses reconstruction of Venezuela's hospital infrastructure after earthquakes.

IVIG/UFRJ participated in the meeting, which brought together experts and institutions from various countries to discuss actions for technical cooperation and strengthening the Venezuelan health network.

The reconstruction of Venezuela's hospital infrastructure following the earthquakes that struck the country in June 2026 was at the center of discussions at the International Forum of Solidarity with Venezuela , held on July 29th. The meeting brought together representatives from international institutions, universities, and experts in hospital engineering, medical-sanitary architecture, and health technology to discuss short-, medium-, and long-term measures aimed at recovering the public health network. The International Virtual Institute for Global Change of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IVIG/UFRJ) participated in the initiative.

The forum was coordinated by Fábio Bitencourt , vice-president of the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE); Fabíola Panitz , president of the Venezuelan Association of Medical and Sanitary Architecture and Engineering (AVAIMS); and Ricardo Silva , CEO of the Global Clinical Engineering Alliance (GCEA). During the meeting, experts presented proposals to support the recovery of Venezuelan hospital infrastructure, considered essential to ensure the continuity of health services in the face of the emergency caused by natural disasters.

The discussions resulted in an action plan organized into three stages. In the short term, priorities include a technical assessment of the damage caused to hospitals, the adoption of emergency protocols, the installation of mobile care units, and the creation of transparency mechanisms for monitoring the resources allocated to reconstruction. For the medium and long term, the proposals include the structural reinforcement of strategic hospitals, permanent training programs, modernization of hospital management, incentives for research, and expansion of international cooperation.

The document presented during the forum foresees the participation of international institutions in the implementation of these actions. In this context, IVIG/UFRJ was cited alongside IFHE, AVAIMS, and the Global Clinical Engineering Alliance among the organizations that could contribute to initiatives of technical cooperation, knowledge exchange, and sharing of best practices aimed at strengthening Venezuelan hospital infrastructure.

Another point addressed was the work of the Venezuela Health Technology Response Team , an initiative that brings together four working groups dedicated to providing technical support to the Venezuelan health system. During the presentation, Ricardo Silva highlighted the activities carried out by these groups, including WG2 – Technical Human Resources & Technical Support , coordinated in the country by engineer Jorge Garrido . This group works on mobilizing specialized professionals, supporting the maintenance and operation of hospital equipment, and training local teams to respond to emergency situations.

IVIG/UFRJ's participation in the forum reinforces its integration into international networks of technical and scientific cooperation and expands the exchange of knowledge aimed at developing solutions to strengthen the resilience of hospital infrastructure and the response capacity of health systems in natural disaster scenarios.