Haiti's health care system is teetering on the edge of collapse as the country grapples with a relentless series of disasters and crises. A recent 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck the southern city of Jérémie, reducing homes to rubble, while flash floods displaced over 13,000 people. Tragically, these catastrophic events exacerbate an already dire situation, characterized by widespread hunger, rape, and gender-based violence, internal displacement, attacks on education, high costs of fuel, and severe insecurity.
Hospitals and primary care facilities simply do not have the capacity or supplies to treat patients. Where services might be available, people don't have money to spend or they fear traveling and being abducted by gangs. A recent survey in the Grand Sud region of Haiti found nearly half of pregnant individuals don't have access to a health facility during childbirth, relying on untrained family and friends to deliver their baby. The health system and the country as a whole are on a downward trajectory. Without political engagement to address the breakdown in governance and gang violence, only continued and increased humanitarian assistance will prevent the complete collapse of the health care system.
During my recent visit to southern Haiti, I witnessed the distressing conditions prevalent in a state hospital. Beds, perched precariously on cinder blocks, were covered with torn cardboard boxes—neither sanitary nor comfortable. The pharmacy shelves were bare, devoid of essential medicines, while the neonatal intensive care unit resorted to using a desk lamp as a makeshift heating source for fragile premature infants. My visit served as a poignant reminder that Haiti's health system is virtually non-existent, a fact reinforced when my colleagues surveyed hundreds of Haitians about the health system, and people laughed and said, "Health system? What health system?"
Just outside of Jérémie, I met Roseline, a 20-year-old mother of four, who traveled for over two hours in the pouring rain to attend a health education session and receive a home hygiene kit as part of a program of support from my organization Project HOPE. Travel in Haiti is not undertaken lightly due to justified security concerns. When I asked her why she had come so far, and at great risk, she said this was her only source of assistance, and she was willing to go to any lengths to safeguard the health of her children.
While Haitians have long been recognized for their resilience, the incessant need to summon strength in the face of repeated adversity has taken them to the brink. They are in dire need of greater support, both from some form of Haitian government and the international community at large.
The lack of rule of law and gang violence has led to major bottlenecks in Port-au-Prince, where limited vital medicines and supplies are stranded. The pernicious cycle of gang violence and soaring fuel prices has rendered the retrieval of shipments nearly impossible. Meanwhile, the political landscape has stagnated, with limited international attention and no discernible progress. A unanimously adopted resolution from last fall at the United Nations to establish sanctions, impose a targeted arms embargo, and implement a travel ban and asset freeze in Haiti has failed to make any tangible progress.
In the absence of meaningful political engagement, well-resourced countries like the United States and Canada need to dramatically step up and offer greater humanitarian support. Haitians do not have time to wait idly. There are immediate steps we can take now to bring hope to Haiti's health system.
To address these challenges, we must first and foremost work in partnership with Haitians and community-based organizations. Haiti has a long history of external interventions without proper engagement with the community. To ensure long-term success, we must collaborate with communities to restore a basic health care system.
To expedite this, we must explore alternative avenues for delivering medical supplies to Haiti, such as direct air shipments or imports through northern and southern regions which bypass the capital. These alternatives are largely prohibited by officials in Port-au-Prince. By diversifying supply routes, we more efficiently and effectively ensure critical medicines and supplies reach those who need them most.
Further, we must prioritize preventive measures to avoid another cholera outbreak. Re-establishing primary health care through static and mobile clinics is crucial. These clinics can serve as the foundation for a surveillance system capable of early detection and response to disease outbreaks. By focusing on prevention and community-based care, we can begin to mitigate the impact of future health crises.
The world community has engaged both politically and with assistance to prevent needless loss of life and support communities in other global crises like Sudan and Ukraine. It is imperative that they extend their assistance and attention to Haiti. Without much greater support and engagement, Haiti and its health problems will continue to worsen.
Rabih Torbay is CEO of Project HOPE.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
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