Haiti: MSF scales up medical response amid chaos in Port-au-Prince

The violence has taken on a new dimension since last weekend, causing a massive number of casualties and triggering the government’s declaration of a state of emergency. Faced with this further deterioration of the security situation, the number of wounded—many of them women, children, and older adults—requiring treatment by MSF teams has risen sharply.

"The 50 beds in our hospital in Tabarre have all been occupied since the beginning of February, but on February 28 the situation worsened and we had to increase the bed capacity to 75," said Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, MSF head of mission. "We are receiving an average of five to ten new cases a day, and we are working at the limits of our capacity."

While several local hospitals have stopped functioning, MSF is reopening its emergency center in Turgeau district, two weeks earlier than planned, in order to increase its medical activities and reduce pressure on its existing facilities. On March 4, MSF also opened its new hospital for the injured in the commune of Carrefour, which has an operating theater and 25 beds. MSF is currently looking for additional hospitals where it could be possible to work in different areas of Port-au-Prince, as the insecurity and improvised roadblocks are preventing ambulances from transporting patients.

Many parts of the city are currently in the throes of violence, which is the culmination of a political, economic, and social crisis that has plagued the country since the assassination of its President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Thousands of people have fled their homes in recent days due to clashes in their neighborhoods, while current high tensions have led MSF to temporarily suspend its mobile clinics in several sites.

Insecurity in Port-au-Prince has also contributed to an increase in sexual violence in recent years, and MSF teams fear that these figures will rise further as the number of displaced people continues to grow. Last year we provided care to over 4,000 survivors of sexual assault.

The country's main port is currently difficult to access due to tensions and insecurity in most parts of the city. The international airport has also been closed for several days.

"We are also worried because our stock of medical supplies is extremely difficult to access, not only because of the situation at the port but also because it is impossible to continue with the administrative procedures for customs clearance," Musubaho said. "We fear we will run out of medicines and medical supplies, which are absolutely essential to meet the enormous needs we are facing at the moment."

In late 2022, the country was virtually paralyzed for weeks when a wave of demonstrations led to the declaration of peyi lok, or "country lockdown," hampering movement, economic activity, and water and fuel supplies, and forcing many health facilities to suspend their activities. Port-au-Prince's health care system is once again under enormous pressure, struggling to meet needs.