Haiti Hospitals grappling with oxygen shortage- patients at risk

One of the main hospitals in Port-au-Prince Haiti, the General Hospital, is currently facing a shortage of oxygen and there are fears of the worst for the lives of the patients who depend on it.

According to hospital officials, the institution’s oxygen supplier has warned that it will soon be unable to supply oxygen, as essential production equipment is blocked at Port Lafiteau.

The hospital still has a maximum reserve of one to two weeks for the survival of its patients.

Other hospitals are also affected by the lack of oxygen, but this has been attributed to the lack of fuel.

However, the situation at private hospitals is different – according to the director of the Development of Health Activities in Haiti (DASH), Dr. Ronald Laroche the network is not affected by the lack of fuel as the essential infrastructures are running on solar energy.

Criminal gangs have been blocking access to the main fuel terminal in the capital Port-au-Prince, bringing critical services to a standstill, as Haiti grapples with a widening cholera epidemic, amid political and economic meltdown.

The UN said “catastrophic” levels of hunger have been recorded this month for the first time, in the gang-controlled Cité Soleil neighborhood, and 4.7 million people are facing acute hunger, with many losing access to jobs, markets, health, and nutrition services.

The United Nations Security Council Friday unanimously approved a sanctions regime for Haiti, targeting gang leaders and those who finance them, in the hope of easing months of violence and lawlessness which has fueled a major humanitarian crisis.

The UN said Resolution 2653, drafted by the United States and Mexico, is the first sanctions regime adopted since that of Mali, just over five years ago. It establishes a committee that will be responsible for designating the individuals and entities to be sanctioned.

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