Haiti: Doctors Without Borders forced to suspend operations at the Isaïe Jeanty Maternity hospital amid violence

“We have tried to provide a minimum level of life‑saving support to the population with a reduced team and limited capacity. We treated several women who managed to reach the maternity hospital despite the insecurity, including one who gave birth to twins. But today we can no longer continue: the hospital is riddled with bullet holes, our teams are exhausted, and it has become extremely difficult for ambulances to refer patients and find facilities able to receive them,” said Nicholas Tessier, Doctors Without Borders Head of Mission in Haiti. 

In Cité Soleil, home to around 300,000 people, access to health care for women is almost non‑existent. Many are forced to give birth at home in precarious conditions, significantly increasing the risk of obstetric complications. 

The suspension of activities at the Isaïe Jeanty Maternity hospital, caused by this latest surge in violence, further worsens an already critical situation: women now have almost no options left to receive care. 

Doctors Without Borders had already been forced to temporarily suspend its activities in May at its hospital in Cité Soleil, located a few kilometres from the maternity hospital. As the security situation continues to deteriorate, the entire health system in the area is under threat. 

It is essential that armed actors respect civilians and that health facilities are protected at all costs so that medical teams can treat those in need.