SWITZERLAND / HAITI – The UN’s Designated Expert on Human Rights in Haiti, William O’Neill, said today he was deeply concerned that the outrageous attacks on hospitals, clinics, and heath care workers by gangs in Haiti in December have further weakened a health care system that was already near collapse.
The attack on the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince on 17 December and the killing of several journalists and a Haitian National Police officer, present at the premises of the General Hospital on 24 December for its official reopening, were the latest suffered by the country’s health care sector – a sector that has been increasingly targeted over the past two years.
“Access to health care and the lives of those who provide it are clearly at great risk in Haiti,” said O’Neill, who was designated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in April 2023.
“Criminal gangs have murdered and kidnapped physicians, nurses and health care workers, including humanitarian workers. The gangs have burned, ransacked, and destroyed many hospitals and clinics, forcing many to close or suspend their operations.
“Only 37 percent of health facilities in the capital, Port-au-Prince, are fully functional and are difficult for people to access due to security concerns. The situation is compounded by the high number of medical staff fleeing the country fearing for their lives.”
Gang members’ repeated threats to attack health premises indicate that these are intentional assaults on the health care system, and not random spasms of violence, he said. In some cases, police officers were also allegedly involved in attacks against patients and threats against health workers.
“The Haitian people – including hundreds of thousands of children living in very precarious conditions – are once again paying the high price of this violence with their right to health severely hindered,” said O’Neill. “The spread of diseases, such as cholera and tuberculosis, is an additional source of concern.”
The 24 December attacks also underline the fact that Haiti remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Many have been killed while others have fled the country in the face of death threats.
“I urge the international community to do everything it can to help Haitian authorities to combat rampant insecurity and ensure the realization of the right to health, including unhindered access to health facilities, goods and services,” the expert said. “The State must also investigate and arrest those responsible for the attacks and ensure that they are brought to justice.”
