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Haiti: MSF activities under threat after series of security incidents in Port-au-Prince

05 Oct 23

Haiti: MSF activities under threat after series of security incidents in Port-au-Prince

Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre - A pick-up is parked in front of the emergency entrance of the hospital. Wounded patients arrive sometimes on mattresses installed in private cars. Caption
Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre - A pick-up is parked in front of the emergency entrance of the hospital. Wounded patients arrive sometimes on mattresses installed in private cars.
© MSF/Alexandre Marcou

24 February 2023

Recent incidents involving Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams and activities in Port-au-Prince, as well as serious threats circulating on social networks, are jeopardizing the safety of MSF staff and patients treated in its facilities, and its ability to provide care in Haiti. 

Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Responsible for nursing care at MSF Tabarre hospital, Isman Elhadji Oumarou, wlaks across the emergency room. Caption
Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Responsible for nursing care at MSF Tabarre hospital, Isman Elhadji Oumarou, wlaks across the emergency room.
© MSF/Alexandre Marcou

On the night of February 23, hooded gunmen attempted to break into the Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Tabarre. "Unidentified individuals pointed their weapons at staff and banged on the door before attempting to scale the wall to enter the hospital compound," says Mahaman Bachard Iro, coordinator of Médecins sans Frontières in Haiti, who says the individuals then left the premises. "We ask all parties to respect the medical mission we have, even as MSF remains one of the last international organizations still delivering care in the Haitian capital."

 

Earlier in the day on February 22, entrances and exits to the MSF emergency center in Turgeau were blocked and an ambulance searched. Refusing to lay down their arms, police then entered the facility to check the identity of all registered patients. 

Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Patient rests in one of the rooms of MSF Tabarre Hospital. Caption
Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Patient rests in one of the rooms of MSF Tabarre Hospital.
© MSF/Alexandre Marcou

A few weeks earlier, on February 7, another incident occurred when an ambulance clearly marked MSF was stopped and searched. Weapons were pointed at the vehicle's passengers to check their identities, stopping the ambulance for more than 45 minutes before it was allowed to resume its journey.

 

In addition, two violent clashes between armed groups have occurred since the beginning of the year just meters from the MSF hospital in Cité Soleil, resulting in the temporary closure of consultations and the temporary evacuation of some staff. In the face of these repeated and disturbing clashes, and the fact that the front line between armed groups is getting closer to the hospital, MSF fears that it will no longer be able to work safely to continue providing medical care to the population. 

Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre - Patients watch TV at the outdoor space within the MSF Hospital of Tabarre. Caption
Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre - Patients watch TV at the outdoor space within the MSF Hospital of Tabarre.
© MSF/Alexandre Marcou

"It is becoming increasingly difficult to work in these conditions, and the recurrence of these incidents is endangering the safety of our medical staff and patients," said Mahaman Bachard Iro. "These repeated obstacles to our teams moving around Port-au-Prince to transfer patients from one hospital to another, these violent intrusions into our medical facilities, and the crossfire at the gates of our health care facilities, seriously threaten the continuity of our activities”. As a reminder, MSF temporarily closed the hospital in Drouillard in April 2022, permanently closed the doors of its emergency center in Martissant in June 2021 and suspended its support for the Raoul Pierre Louis hospital in Carrefour in January 2023 for security reasons.

 

The teams of Médecins sans Frontières has been present in Haiti for 30 years, treating all patients in need of care in an impartial manner. We urge all parties to respect our medical mission, including patients, caregivers, hospitals and the ambulances that transport them. In this difficult context, the entire Haitian health system is on the verge of collapse, as many health structures can no longer function properly. MSF would also like to reiterate its commitment to the Haitian population, the first victims of the violence that has torn the country apart for years. 

Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Each room has a capacity of 6 beds and patients receive free and quality care during their stay. Caption
Haiti MSF Hospital of Tabarre – Each room has a capacity of 6 beds and patients receive free and quality care during their stay.
© MSF/Alexandre Marcou

In 2022, MSF teams, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, performed more than 4,600 surgical interventions, gave 34,200 emergency consultations, treated 2,600 gunshot wounds, 370 burn victims, and carried out 17,800 consultations in mobile clinics, 2,300 victims of sexual violence and 700 deliveries. Since the first case of cholera arrived in late September 2022, our teams have also treated more than 19,000 people.