As violence continues to choke off access to essential services across Haiti, the United Nations and its partners are scaling up life-saving health assistance in the Centre Department, where health systems are buckling under the strain of insecurity and displacement.
Last week, three emergency health kits — enough to support up to 30,000 patients for three months — were delivered to key medical facilities in Hinche, Boucan Carré, and Cange. The kits include surgical tools and essential medical supplies aimed at easing the burden on local hospitals, which are facing overwhelming demand due to an influx of displaced people and the collapse of nearby medical services.
Health facilities in the region are grappling with critical staff shortages and limited resources, made worse by the closure of the University Hospital of Mirebalais. The facility, a major referral hospital in the department, was forced to suspend operations following a surge in violence in the area.
Despite ongoing support from the UN and humanitarian organizations, widespread access constraints — particularly along key transport routes — continue to hamper the delivery of aid. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), these obstacles are severely limiting the ability of aid workers to reach communities in need.
The broader picture across Haiti is equally grim. In the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area, nearly half of health facilities — 42 percent — remain closed, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
The health crisis is being compounded by a major funding gap. With 2025 already well underway, Haiti’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan remains woefully underfunded — less than 7 percent of the required $908 million has been received, with just over $61 million secured so far.
OCHA says it continues to work with UN agencies and humanitarian partners to meet the most urgent needs “wherever and whenever possible,” but warns that without increased access and funding, the humanitarian response will remain severely limited.
