Haiti: People cut off from vital healthcare as intense violence grips Port-au-Prince

“Every day, we see the consequences of this violence,” says Robin Meldrum, project coordinator at the MSF Emergency Center.

“Just last month, one of the youngest patients was a three-year-old boy who suffered a gunshot wound to the neck – a stark indication of how indiscriminate the violence has become,” he says.

Healthcare services in Port-au-Prince are under severe pressure. The main hospital, l’Hôpital Général, is currently inoperable, situated within a conflict zone. Other hospitals are either facing similar challenges or are overwhelmed with the number of casualties, restricting their ability to accept new patients.

Even MSF’s Tabarre facility, specialising in trauma and burn care, is often at capacity, forcing it to focus only on the most severely wounded patients.

The urban environment in Port-au-Prince has transformed drastically, with deserted streets and fortified neighbourhoods becoming the norm, as residents try to shield themselves from the violence. This change has led to a notable decrease in emergency visits, with the centre in Turgeau seeing fewer than 40 daily patients, down from 80-100 in previous years.