Haiti: MSF hospital in Cité Soleil reopens after three-week closure
MSF resumes medical services at our Cité Soleil hospital after clashes forced the suspension of operations in mid-May.
Three weeks after severe clashes between armed groupsforced Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend operations at our hospital in Cité Soleil — a neighbourhood in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince — MSF has, on Monday June 1, begun a gradual resumption of medical services to address the significant needs of the community.
On May 11 medical teams treated more than 40 people with gunshot wounds in less than 12 hours, while a security guard was struck by a stray bullet within the hospital compound. More than 800 people fleeing violence had sought refuge at the hospital, causing panic as gunfire continued.
MSF’s hospital is one of few lifelines for healthcare in the area
“All our services had to be suspended,” says Thomas Curbillon, MSF country director in Haiti. “The hospital was completely emptied, and several bullet holes are visible on the different buildings. In the outpatient department we usually see an average of 150 patients per day, and the bed occupancy rate regularly exceeds 80 per cent. This gives an idea of the consequences for the population when our activities are suspended for several weeks.”
“This is the third time in three years that MSF has been forced to suspend operations at our hospital in Cité Soleil. We call on all parties to the conflict to respect the safety of civilians and healthcare workers, so that we can do our work: caring for people.”
Thomas Curbillon, MSF country director in Haiti
After a period of relative calm, MSF decided to reopen the emergency department of the hospital along with medical services for survivors of sexual violence. Following examination and stabilization, patients are referred to other facilities. Teams are continuing to assess security risks before resuming other activities. If security conditions are met, the outpatient clinic and inpatient services are expected to resume in the coming days.
“This is the third time in three years that MSF has been forced to suspend operations at our hospital in Cité Soleil,” Thomas Curbillon says. “We call on all parties to the conflict to respect the safety of civilians and healthcare workers, so that we can do our work: caring for people.”
One patient received care the day after the hospital resumed activities. “During the clashes in Cité Soleil, I fell while trying to escape. I came to MSF for treatment, but the hospital was closed. I could not receive treatment for all this time. I had to leave my neighbourhood to seek refuge elsewhere. Yesterday, I finally returned home and came here today for a consultation; I was told my arm was broken.”
Cité Soleil is home to approximately 300,000 people who live with extremely limited access to essential services and healthcare. Medical needs remain immense. Persistent insecurity and a lack of healthcare facilities make the MSF hospital in Cité Soleil an essential source of care for people in vulnerable situations.
MSF’s ongoing work in Port-au-Prince
During the closure of MSF’s hospital in Cité Soleil, the teams adapted and distributed approximately 100 hygiene kits and essential supplies to people displaced by the armed clashes. Further distributions are planned in the coming days.
In the Brooklyn neighbourhood, the MSF-supported Orezon clinic remained open. An MSF doctor, midwife, and psychologist supported the clinic during the closure of the hospital in Cité Soleil as the number of daily consultations rose from 60–80 to an average of more than 100.
In Port-au-Prince, MSF currently provides care at its Cité Soleil hospital, the Orezon clinic, Isaïe Jeanty maternity ward in Chancerelles, Tabarre and Pran Men’m Clinic for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Delmas 33.
