The UN’s top human rights expert in Haiti, William O’Neill, has denounced what he described as “intentional” attacks on hospitals, clinics, and healthcare workers by armed gangs, warning that the country’s medical system is nearing collapse.
In a statement released Friday, O’Neill highlighted several recent incidents, including a December 17 attack on Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince and the December 24 killing of journalists and a police officer at the General Hospital during its official reopening.
“Criminal gangs have murdered and kidnapped physicians, nurses, and healthcare workers, including humanitarian workers,” O’Neill said. He added that gangs have “burned, ransacked, and destroyed many hospitals and clinics, forcing many to close or suspend their operations.”
According to O’Neill, only 37 percent of health facilities in Port-au-Prince remain fully functional. Even these are difficult to access due to unchecked gang violence, leaving millions of Haitians vulnerable.
“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,” O’Neill stated.
He expressed particular concern over the spread of diseases such as cholera and tuberculosis, exacerbated by the lack of access to healthcare services.
O’Neill also pointed to repeated threats against health facilities and reports of alleged police involvement in the violence, further complicating the crisis.
The December 24 attack at the General Hospital underscored the dangers faced not only by healthcare workers but also by journalists in Haiti. Many reporters have been killed or forced to flee the country due to death threats.
Call for action in Haiti
O’Neill called on the international community to assist Haitian authorities in addressing insecurity and ensuring access to healthcare.
“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,” he said.
The UN expert also emphasized the need for the Haitian State to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the attacks.
