Critical Situation in Haitian Hospitals (February 13, 2019)--February 2019

 

EB 1556--Critical Situation in Haitian Hospitals (February 13, 2019)--Feb 2019

Flora

Baby Flora is currently recovering from her heart surgery on Monday. She is in a hospital in Port-au-Prince and is reliant on a constant source of electricity. With the city under siege, multiple private hospitals with patients inside are in danger due to lack of supplies. (Haiti’s public hospitals are not included in the article below. Their conditions and staffing are most always deplorable even on a “normal day” in Port.)

From Haiti Libre–February 13, 2019:

Faced with the deterioration of the socio-economic and political situation in Haiti in recent days, Dr. Franck Geneus President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Haiti (AHPH) expresses his deep concern on behalf of its 28 member hospitals, stressing that its hospitals are starting to face major challenges including : “[…] shortage of electricity, shortage of fuel, lack of oxygen, depletion of stocks of medicines and stop means of transport and means of communication” that have already caused several victims…

AHPH note :

“[…] We can not fail to point out that currently among our members, where we count, important hospitals of the metropolitan area such as the networks of the 4 hospitals of the Development of Health Activities in Haiti (DASH): St Camille Hospital, Medimax, Lambert Health, St. Damien Hospital (our little brothers and sisters), Citymed, SODETH Hospital, Grace Children Hospital, Bernard Mews Hospital, Carrefour Hospital Center, King’s Hospital and the Adventist Hospital of Haiti among others, we already have victims of the indiscriminate violence in the country.

Above all, we are concerned about the risks to public health posed by the continued blockage of all socio-economic activities in the country. All our hospitals are starting to face major challenges; shortage of electricity, shortage of fuel, shortage of oxygen, depletion of stocks of medicines and stop means of transport and means of communication. These challenges directly affect our ability to save lives.

We urgently call on all the protagonists of the crisis to ask them to understand how much the impact is of great importance for the well-being and immediate survival of all strata of the population.

We demand that priority be given to the country’s medical services for access to electricity, fuel and the security of our premises, our personnel, our ambulances and other means of transportation.

We are seeking immediate special protection from the police to allow us to refuel, to evacuate our patients and to operate the system. We ask all the protagonists to find in emergency solutions to put an end to this crisis and this without delay.

We call on all citizens’ conscience at all levels to allow the continued operation of hospitals in Haiti because it is our survival for all.”

Flora

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org