Haiti: Attack forces MSF to withdraw emergency services

“Without the possibility of using this road to transfer patients, transport personnel or deliver medical supplies, these structures can no longer function,” says Benoît Vasseur, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti. “This is an extremely painful decision, at a time when the population’s vital medical needs continue to grow.”

A deteriorating security situation in the centre of Port-au-Prince—with stray bullets landing in the compound at Turgeau each day—means MSF will withdraw for at least three months.

Turgeau and Carrefour were the only medical facilities in the city offering free care to victims of domestic or road accidents or referring patients to appropriate facilities. But between January and March 2025, MSF teams noted an alarming increase in the number of victims of violence, treating more than 750 trauma and 3,600 emergency cases.
 

MSF has responded to major crises—such as earthquakes, hurricanes and cholera epidemics—in Haiti for more than 30 years. Despite widespread violence in Port-au-Prince and the withdrawal in Turgeau and Carrefour, MSF is active at other facilities in the capital and in southern Haiti.

How MSF is responding

Port-au-Prince

The Tabarre Trauma Reference Centre treats victims of serious burns, accidents and violence. Hôpital Drouillard in Cité Soleil maintains a 24-hour emergency service, which includes physical and mental health treatment for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The Pran Men’m clinic provides comprehensive medical and psychological care for victims of sexual violence, including at its main facility in Delmas and at the maternity hospital in Isaïe Jeanty. And, since 2021, MSF has deployed mobile clinics to several sites for displaced persons and disadvantaged neighborhoods. However, medical transport has been suspended for all MSF teams in Port-au-Prince.

Southern Haiti

MSF provides emergency obstetric and neonatal care as well as maternal health services in Port-à-Piment and in the surrounding area.

MSF cannot continue risking lives to provide these services. It suspended all operations for about three weeks on 22 November 2024 because of repeated attacks and threats against staff. “A dead or injured doctor or nurse can do nothing for patients in need,” says Vasseur. He reiterates MSF’s appeal to all parties concerned. “Respect the medical mission and ensure the protection of health structures, ambulances, patients and staff.”