In a hospital amidst Haiti’s gang-ridden capital, a woman convulses and goes limp. Doctors scramble to revive her, but oxygen levels plummet and essential medication is scarce. This scene plays out daily in Port-au-Prince, where gangs have strangled the health system.
Since February, gangs have launched coordinated attacks, targeting critical infrastructure and paralyzing operations at the country’s largest seaport, leaving containers filled with supplies stranded. Hospitals and clinics are running low on life-saving medicines, such as those for convulsions and blood pressure. Asthmatic patients are left without inhalers, and those with cancer and AIDS face dwindling options.
Gang violence has also forced medical staff to stay home or turn back at blocked roads, further exacerbating the crisis. Pharmacies in downtown Port-au-Prince have been looted and set ablaze, leaving patients with chronic conditions unable to access their daily medications.
The Peace University Hospital, located south of the shuttered airport, is one of the few institutions still operating. It has treated over 200 gunshot wound victims since February 29th. However, it faces an urgent need for fuel to power its generators, risking closure if supplies run out.
From January to March, over 2,500 people were killed or wounded in Haiti, a 50% increase compared to the same period last year. The spiraling chaos is leaving a growing number of patients with little to no recourse, as their health worsens due to lack of access to essential medications.
Doctors Without Borders has been forced to cut the number of outpatients it treats daily in Cite Soleil from 150 to 50, though emergencies are still attended to. Each day, scores of people line up outside the hospital, risking gang violence to receive medical care. Those with less urgent needs are turned away.
On Friday morning, 51-year-old Jean Marc Baptiste arrives at the emergency room with a gunshot wound to his hand. Nurses reveal a gaping wound in his thumb, but the hospital lacks a plastic surgeon. X-rays are ordered to rule out a fracture. The Cite Soleil hospital now sees an average of three wounded people a day, sometimes reaching 14. Recently, five people wounded by bullets arrived after being trapped in a public bus overnight due to heavy gunfire.
Haiti’s health system is on the brink of collapse, with gangs tightening their grip on the capital and beyond. The situation is leaving a growing number of patients with little to no recourse, as their health worsens due to lack of access to essential medications and medical care.
