The economic crisis in Venezuela is now so bad that doctors are using cardboard boxes instead of incubators to keep newborn babies.

These photos of tiny sleeping children have caused outrage after they were posted online, and have shone a light on the desperate situation in the country.

Manuel Ferreira, director of human rights for coalition group the Democratic Unity Roundtable, said they had been taken in the Domingo Guzman Lander hospital in Barcelona, in the north-eastern state of Anzoategui.

The shocking images, believed to have been taken by a medic in the northeastern state of Barcelona, show young babies in cardboard boxes instead of incubators

It is understood the images were taken by medical staff who wanted to remain anonymous.

Experts say hospitals in the cash-strapped country, which is suffering from a shortage of food and fuel, are being starved of resources.

Douglas Leon, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV), claimed some hospitals are working with just five percent of the medical equipment that they need.

Some hospitals in Venezuela are working with just five per cent of the medical equipment they need, it has been claimed

According to the Pharmaceutical Federation, the shortage of medicines is more than 80 percent and around 13,000 doctors, more than 20 percent of the medical staff in the country, have emigrated in the last four years because of the crisis in their sector and because of low salaries.

The country's director of social security, Carlos Rotondaro, reacted angrily to the images, writing on Twitter: 'We do not justify the actions taken by a professional without the authorisation of the management.'

He added: 'Our hospitals have to deal with hundreds of patients despite the efforts of the media to manipulate things. Unlike many we recognise our fault and we continue.'

Heartbreaking: The newborns have been forced to sleep in cardboard boxes amid Venezuela's deepening financial crisis

In June, a group of medical professionals went to the National Parliament in order to talk about the shortage of medicine in the country.

Cristian Pino, a doctor and the director of the University Hospital of Los Andes, in the state of Merida, said to President Nicolas Maduro: 'We need to work together and leave apart the differences in order to work together for the Venezuelan family.'

Yesterday Peru's president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, told the United Nations General Assembly that he is concerned about the critical economic situation in Venezuela, citing shortfalls of food and medicine.

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski referred to Venuzuela's crisi in a speech to the UN General Assembly

He said to world leaders: 'It is unavoidable that I mention our concern for the very critical political, economic and social situation that our friendly nation of Venezuela is experiencing.'

But his comments were branded 'a gratuitous attack' by Venezuela's representative to the UN, Rafael Ramirez.

He said: 'It was an unfortunate speech that shows that certain countries continue to interfere in our internal affairs.'

Venezuela has seen its oil production drop to 2.4 million barrels a day - 350,000 lower than a year ago, the New York Times reports.

Munipal police dealing with food queues in Caracas, Venezuela, where food, oil and medicine shortages have reached crisis point

It is suffering from acute shortages of rice and corn and essential medicines, the population has had to endure triple-digit inflation.