UNICEF: Haiti’s health system “on the verge of collapse”

Haiti’s health system is now “on the verge of collapse,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Haiti Bruno Maes warned, citing an alarming decline in the number of hospitals still operational in the violence-stricken Caribbean country.

As gang-led anarchy persists in the capital, Port-au-Prince, only six out of 10 hospitals remain operational, depriving vulnerable children of crucial care.

Mr. Maes stated that escalating violence, “mass displacement, dangerous epidemics, and increasing malnutrition” had pushed the country’s health system to its limits, and that the “strangling of supply chains” may completely destroy it.

“The increasing violence in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite is driving Haiti into a humanitarian crisis. Not only are children detained, but so are crucial supplies intended to treat and nourish them,” Mr. Maes told UN News.

UNICEF reports that warehouses, pharmacies, and containers with crucial supplies have been either held up or plundered.

However, hundreds of containers of humanitarian goods, including neonatal, maternal, and medical supplies, remain stalled at Port-au-Prince.

The country’s capital typically receives and releases all imported health supplies, but with rampant violence and over 160,000 displaced civilians, Port-au-Prince can no longer care for a population that is “concurrently fighting physical trauma and the risk of disease.”

According to UNICEF, many displaced families, particularly those in the country’s south, are seeking protection and security, putting a strain on local health-care resources. According to the agency, around 40% of personnel have been forced to leave the nation due to high levels of insecurity.

According to UNICEF, Haiti reported 82,000 cases of cholera between October 2022 and April 2024.

Nearly 4.4 million people in Haiti require food assistance, and 1.6 million civilians are experiencing severe food insecurity, raising the risk of child wasting and malnutrition.

This condition is anticipated to worsen as the rainy season approaches, which may lead to an increase in waterborne infections and mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.

UNICEF and other humanitarian partners are developing alternatives to Port-au-Prince’s import and dispatch centers.

These alternate pathways have enabled the organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and international donors and partners, to provide immunizations, medicine, and medical supplies to the most vulnerable children.

On May 18, 20, and 21, UNICEF delivered 38 tons of crucial medical and lifesaving supplies, including health and cholera kits, via a new operational hub established by the UN and the Children’s Fund.

According to Mr. Maes, these supplies will be delivered to health facilities “that are only barely keeping their heads above water.”

According to UNICEF, more aid is critically needed.

“We cannot let crucial goods that could save children’s lives remain trapped in warehouses and containers. “They must be delivered right now,” stated Mr. Maes.

He informed UN News that UNICEF is also “sourcing vital, ready-to-use therapeutic food right here in Haiti.”

He stated that these supplies will be distributed to 600 health facilities throughout Haiti, as well as many mobile clinics in places with limited access.

“When supply reaches children, they have the opportunity to live a healthy life…”Children can attend school. “They can play and just be children,” Mr. Maes stated.