In the heart of gang territory in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a woman’s life hangs in the balance, her oxygen levels plummeting, as medical staff at a Doctors Without Borders hospital work frantically to save her. The hospital, situated in the notorious Cite Soleil slum, is critically low on essential medicines required to treat convulsions. Dr. Rachel Lavigne, a physician with the organization, starkly summarizes the situation: “The medication she really needs, we barely have.” This is not an isolated incident; it is a grim tableau that is becoming all too familiar across Haiti’s capital.
Haiti’s healthcare system, long plagued by fragility, is now teetering on the edge of total collapse following a series of coordinated gang attacks that began on February 29. Targeting vital infrastructure and spreading terror throughout the capital and beyond, these attacks have forced the closure of several healthcare facilities and dialysis centers, including the country’s largest public hospital.
“The violence has forced several medical institutions and dialysis centers to close, including Haiti’s largest public hospital,” reports noted, highlighting the grim reality of a healthcare system in disarray. The Hospital of the State University of Haiti, which was expected to reopen on April 1, remains shuttered, infiltrated by gang members. In stark contrast, Peace University Hospital, despite its ongoing operations, struggles to maintain its services. Dr. Paul Junior Fontilus, the hospital’s director, expressed the urgent need for fuel to operate generators, without which the institution risks shutting its doors.
The United Nations has reported a staggering surge in violence, with more than 2,500 individuals killed or wounded from January to March, marking a more than 50% increase from the previous year. The daily eruption of violence in Port-au-Prince not only hampers the availability of medical staff, who often cannot reach hospitals due to roadblocks manned by heavily armed gang members, but also decimates the supply of crucial medications. Pharmacies have been looted and set ablaze, leaving patients with cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses with few to no treatment options.
The scarcity of medical supplies and professionals is not just a matter of statistics; it directly impacts human lives. “People’s health is worsening because the daily medication they need for their chronic conditions is not available,” warned Jacob Burns, a project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders. The organization itself has depleted its stock of medications used to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, and is unable to find asthma inhalers within the capital.
The dire situation is forcing healthcare providers to make heart-wrenching decisions, such as the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Cite Soleil, which has had to cut the number of outpatients it treats from 150 to 50 daily, though they continue to attend to all emergencies. Desperate Haitians line up outside the hospital each day, risking their lives in gang-controlled zones for a chance at receiving medical care.
Haiti’s healthcare crisis is also exacerbating the country’s hunger and security issues, making it one of the most challenging humanitarian situations globally. With nearly half of Haiti’s population struggling to feed themselves and hunger reaching emergency phases in several regions, according to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the situation calls for urgent action.
Relevant articles:
– Haiti health system nears collapse as medicine dwindles, gangs attack hospitals and ports stay shut, apnews.com, 04/24/2024
– Haiti’s health system pushed to the brink of collapse by rampant gang violence, Fox News, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:52:00 GMT
– Haitian officials scramble to impose security measures with council inauguration imminent, Fox News, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:29:00 GMT
– Haiti gang wars push hunger to worst levels on record, Yahoo News UK, Sun, 21 Apr 2024 20:17:39 GMT