Caracas, April 10, 2026 — Emergencies don’t give warning. However, the difference between life and death often lies in the hands of whoever arrives first on the scene. With this in mind, the Venemergencia Foundation launched a national tour to train citizens outside the healthcare field so they can act judiciously and efficiently during an emergency. This initiative is part of the foundation’s 15th-anniversary celebration.
The training tour, which began at the La Esperanza Clinic in Puerto Ordaz, will next stop at the Clínica del Sur in El Tigre and continue on to the La Fe Clinic in Pampatar; it strengthens the medical emergency response system through the 13 clinics in the Urgent Care Partner Network, where this same training program will be replicated throughout 2026.
In addition to the theoretical training, the Venemergencia Foundation’s tour is an initiative that seeks to provide Venezuelans with greater and better access to healthcare through education. “Traveling across the country allows us to bring skills to every community so that ordinary citizens can properly handle medical emergencies. In other words, to save lives,” stated Andrea Galarraga, Director of Sustainability at Venemergencia.
What is a first responder?
A first responder is a neighbor, a coworker, or a passerby who is trained to arrive first at the scene of an emergency response and is equipped to apply learned techniques and procedures to prevent a patient’s condition from worsening while professional help arrives.
Through the Foundation’s courses, Venezuelans learn simple techniques that make a difference in a medical emergency, such as CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)—vital when the heart stops—the Heimlich maneuver to save someone from choking, or bleeding control, which prevents major complications following an emergency.
The Impact of Knowing How to Act
In a country where nearly 50,000 people suffer cardiac arrests each year and the vast majority do not survive due to a lack of immediate assistance, public education is the most powerful tool we have. The Venemergencia Foundation knows this, which is why it has trained more than 8,000 people since its inception, with 1,400 certificates issued in the last year alone.
The Venemergencia Foundation continues to blaze trails through public training, publicly accessible telemedicine, and heart-safe zones equipped with publicly accessible defibrillators, reminding us that the mission of protecting life is a task that unites us all.
You can follow us at: @venemergencia @urgentcare.ve @fundacionvenemergencia @venemergenciaauto
