MSF halts operations at Haiti emergency center after gunmen kill patient

The international medical humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has taken the drastic step of suspending all activities at the Turgeau Emergency Center indefinitely. 

This decision comes in the wake of an incident where a patient, critically injured fell victim to a group of armed assailants while being transported via ambulance.

Ambulance convoy ambushed

The tragic episode unfolded on Tuesday as a critical patient was in the process of being transferred to another hospital. 

Reports are that the medical team was operating a convoy of two ambulances, diligently striving to provide life-saving care when their mission was unexpectedly disrupted. 

Approximately a dozen armed men swiftly blocked the path of the ambulances just a few meters outside the Turgeau Emergency Center.

According to reports, the man patient taken from the first ambulance, beaten and shot several times.

A temporary closure for reflection and evaluation

Benoît Vasseur, the dedicated Head of Mission for MSF in Haiti said the temporary closure is intended to facilitate a comprehensive analysis of the attack and a thorough reevaluation of the risks faced by both MSF staff and patients.