Haiti: MSF hospital in Cité Soleil reopens after three-week closure

Country: Haiti Source: Médecins Sans Frontières MSF began to gradually resume medical services at its Cité Soleil hospital on June 1, after clashes forced the suspension of operations in mid-May. Three weeks after being forced to suspend operations at its hospital in Cité Soleil, a neighborhood in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, due to severe clashes between armed groups, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began to gradually resume medical services on Monday, June 1, to address the significant needs of the community’s residents. Intense clashes in Cité Soleil forced MSF to evacuate its hospital on May 11. Medical teams had 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 sought refuge at the hospital, causing panic as gunfire continued. MSF’s hospital is one of few lifelines for health care in the area “All our services at the hospital had to be suspended, ” said Thomas Curbillon, MSF head of mission 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 of the inpatient department regularly exceeds 80 percent. 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 its hospital in Cité Soleil. We call on all parties to the conflict to respect the safety of civilians and health care workers, so that we can do our work: saving lives. 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. After medical consultations 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 its hospital in Cité Soleil, ” Curbillon said. “We call on all parties to the conflict to respect the safety of civilians and health care workers, so that we can do our work: saving lives. ” Cité Soleil is home to approximately 300, 000 people who live with extremely limited access to essential services and health care. Medical needs remain immense. Persistent insecurity and a lack of health care facilities make the MSF hospital in Cité Soleil a vital source of care for a particularly vulnerable population. The day after the hospital resumed activities, a patient gave the following account: “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 neighborhood to seek refuge elsewhere. Yesterday I finally returned home and came here today for a consultation; I was told my arm was broken. ” MSF’s ongoing work in Port-au-Prince While the MSF hospital in Cité Soleil was closed, our teams distributed about 100 hygiene kits and essential supplies to people displaced by the armed clashes. Further distributions are planned in the coming days. In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Cité Soleil, the Orezon clinic supported by MSF has remained open. An MSF doctor, midwife, and psychologist supported the clinic over this time period, during which the number of consultations rose from between 60 and 80 to an average of more than 100 per day. In Port-au-Prince, MSF currently provides care at its Cité Soleil hospital, the Orezon clinic, Isaïe Jeanty Maternity Hospital in Chancerelles, Tabarre Hospital, and Pran Men’m Clinic for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Delmas 33.

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