An armed gang opened fire inside the Mirebalais University Hospital (HUM), Haiti, in the early hours of September 26, terrorizing patients and staff, and leaving the facility, including the neonatal intensive care unit, riddled with bullets. According to witness reports, no staff or patients were injured in the attack.
However, approximately 50% of HUM patients fled the facility, including those critically ill, whose health could deteriorate without access to life-saving medical care. Our colleagues at Zanmi Lasante (ZL), as Partners In Health (PIH) is known in Haiti, are doing everything possible to protect patients and try to get them back for medical care. ZL has issued the following statement in response to the attack, which comes after months of escalating gang violence across the country:
The executive leadership of Zanmi Lasante and the Mirebalais University Hospital (HUM) strongly condemn the shocking attack perpetrated by a gang against HUM at approximately 2:30 a.m. today. This brutal attack violated the moral agreement that hospitals are places of neutrality, leaving medical staff and patients deeply traumatized.
“We strongly condemn this attack as a violation of the principle of medical neutrality protected by international humanitarian law,” says Marc Julmisse, ZL’s interim executive director. “Despite this attack targeting HUM, Zanmi Lasante staff remain committed to providing vital care to the people of Haiti, and we ask for your solidarity with them.”
The HUM is a symbol of quality medical care and a place of healing for the Haitian community. It is where lives are saved, where pain is relieved and where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, finds help in times of need. Hospitals are neutral places, havens where everyone can find safety and care, regardless of their origins or affiliations. This attack on HUM violates the essential principles of medical neutrality and has left a deep wound on both hospital staff and patients.
Of the more than 350 patients present at the time of the attack, many were in intensive care, in critical condition. The hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, which houses fragile and helpless newborns in incubators, also came under fire, damaging several of the incubators and endangering these already vulnerable babies.
Although there were no deaths or injuries, this attack highlights the urgency for local authorities, law enforcement agencies and the international community to take firm action to ensure that hospitals remain sanctuaries for medical care. Acts of violence against health care facilities not only disrupt the vital provision of medical care, but also cause perennial trauma to those who seek and provide care.
Zanmi Lasante and HUM remain committed to our mission of providing quality care to patients in Haiti, regardless of the difficulties we face. We remain determined to continue our work, restore the neutrality of healthcare facilities and support our community in these difficult times.
We stand in solidarity with our brave and dedicated staff, our patients and their families, and all those affected by this attack. Together, stronger than ever, we are committed to healing, compassion and hope.
Read the original statement in English: https://www.pih.org/article/statement-armed-attack-hopital-universitaire-de-mirebalais-haiti