The ongoing strike by physician and residents in state hospitals and health facilities across the
country are compounding an already catastrophic situation similar to genocide. Popular demands
for improved working conditions and ending of insecurity came to a head when, according to
health care workers at Justinian University Hospital, they were forced to observe work stoppage
because masked armed gangs invaded the hospital, attacking staff with their weapons. The
residents had demanded a safe environment, space lighting and better working conditions but
were met with silence and inaction from officials of the hospital who made no efforts to improve
conditions. In Port-Au-Prince, medical residents of the sanatorium announced that the hospital is
not able to treat the sick due to lack of supplies, including oxygen, which is very expensive to
obtain, slowness in communicating the results of laboratory tests affecting the care of patients,
absenteeism of nurses, and the absence of an administrator. Dr Ardouin Louis Charles, who is
currently the director of the hospital announced his resignation on social media while blaming
the residents of causing the lockdown, preventing patients and employees from leaving. Mr.
Charles also claims that he was verbally assaulted and a hospital security staff was physically
assaulted, thus he felt obliged to resign.
While on the topic of resignation, one of the collateral damages brought on by the Biden
humanitarian program is the flight of professionals from the health care system. One of such
people is Dental surgeon, doctor, and entrepreneur, Dr. Esdras Jean Louis who fled on March 12,
- Dr. Esdras Jean Louis is a towering figure, in the field of medicine in Haiti, known and
appreciated by all those who have attended the Faculty of Odontology and/or the Faculty of
Medicine and Pharmacy of the State University of Haiti over the past 15 years. Involved in
almost all activities, over the years he had become a model for several generations of health
science students. With a stellar career and the desire to help his people, he was forced to make
the ultimate sacrifice to leave his native land because the security situation was simply becoming
untenable. According to Dr Jean Louis, the assassination of former presidential candidate Éric
Jean Baptiste on October 28, 2022, was a turning point in his life, when he realized how
untenable the situation had become. He further added that his family has become disoriented as
his wife, who is an anesthesiologist and doctor on duty at the Mirebalais University Hospital, had
to regularly face the murderous bullets of the 400 Mawozo gang on her daily trek to work, the
children fed up with gunshots and sleeping under the bed. Unfortunately, many professionals are
constrained to make the same choice, and health professionals are on top of the list of those
living in droves.
Meanwhile, a collection of civil society organizations have come together to impress upon the
government to declare a state of emergency in areas under control of gangs, the increasing
security crisis has in effectively crippled the entire country. The organizations include Collectif
du 4 décembre 2013, le Sant Karl Lévèque (SKL), le Conseil haïtien des acteurs non étatiques
(CONHANE), le Collectif des avocats pour la défense des droits humains (CADDHO) and Kri
Fanm Ayiti (KRIFKA), also called on residents to form neighborhood defense groups to counter
the threat from the gangs. They argue that it is necessary to identify and appeal to any country
willing and able to provide the country with all the materials and equipment necessary to fight
the bandits that are terrorizing the people in order to avoid a civil war. Among the proposals put
forth are the possibility of accepting aid offered by countries in the region, particularly El
Salvador, or to look to Africa to seek help from the African Union and other African states. They
also want to establish a crisis high command composed of 5 members as follows: the police
commissioner (PNH) and the Commander of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H) and three (3)
other people from civil society. They warn of the incomprehensible increase in groups of
terrorists in the country, the appalling cruelty of gangsters and terrorists, who commit
assassinations and killings in several neighborhoods, rapes, thefts, kidnappings, and kidnappings
of people for ransom. All these problems lead to the trauma suffered by schoolchildren and
students, the gradual closing of schools and universities, the looting of private residences and
commercial establishments, and the destruction of police stations. On a press release,
spokesperson for the group stated that now is the time to act in the face of the rising brutal,
pervasive and criminal terrorism, they criticize the inability of the de facto government and the
responsible forces, the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Armed Forces of Haiti (Fad’h) to
ensure the safety of the population. They concluded that the life of each of us is continually
threatened and we are forced to defend ourselves, our families, our friends on this land left by
our ancestors.
A Florida couple who went home to visit ailing relatives and take part in the rara festival in
Léogane was kidnapped and held for ransom. The couple were on a public bus on March 18
when it was stopped by gangs, and they were snatched from the bus by alleged members of a
gang in the area. According to the couple’s family, the kidnappers are demanding $200,000 for
each of the people kidnapped. The initial demand of US$6000 was paid but the kidnappers did
not release their victims but instead increased the amount ransom to US$200,000 per person. The
family said this is not the first time family members have been kidnapped. Relatives were
kidnapped and released over 16 years ago and still suffer the trauma of that incident. They are
calling on the authorities to get involved and help them secure the release of their relatives. The
U.S. State Department released a statement saying they knew of reports of two U.S. citizens
being kidnapped and are in consistent contact with Haitian authorities. Just this month, at least
101 kidnappings were reported, while another 208 were killed in gang violence during that same
period, according to the United Nations
On a positive note: The Grenadiers have qualified for the 2023 Gold Cup after defeating
Montserrat 4-0 at Blakes Estate Stadium in a CONCACAF Nations League game last Saturday.
March 25, 2023. They made it to the Gold Cup because they took first place finish in the
CONCACAF Nations League B with a game to go.
Dela Harlley