The living conditions of millions of Haitians have deteriorated due to the intensification of violence in the country, the increase in insecurity and difficulties in accessing essential services.
The ICRC, which has recently strengthened the operational capacity of its Mission in Haiti, is working with its partners to promote a hygienic environment for detainees, as well as improve health care for those who have contracted cholera. The ICRC also provides training on the basics of water testing and treatment to community health providers, including those from the Haitian Red Cross (HRC), which runs an ambulance service.
“The people of Haiti are in a very precarious situation, caught between high levels of armed violence and the serious threat that is now posed not only by cholera, but also by a health system that cannot attend to all the people who need assistance.” said Sophie Orr, ICRC regional director for the Americas.
Humanitarian access is of vital importance in a period of exacerbated violence such as the one currently affecting Haiti. The ICRC communicates with all parties, including armed groups, to gain access to the most vulnerable people so that it can provide a timely and effective humanitarian response.
“Together with other organizations, the Red Cross family is stepping up its action to provide the necessary assistance at this critical time. But it is imperative that health facilities, ambulances and staff are respected and allowed to do their job of alleviating human suffering,” said Ms Orr.
The ICRC, in collaboration with its partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other local bodies, has been carrying out the following activities:
- reinforcement of the provision of emergency health care in favor of the detained population to prevent the spread of cholera in eighteen places of detention;
- training of community health providers and CRH volunteers on the basics of water testing and treatment to sensitize communities affected by violence;
- training and support for health workers in some of Port-au-Prince’s most vulnerable and volatile neighborhoods;
- support for the ambulance service of the CRH and other key organizations through the provision of inputs;
- delivery of medical supplies to various partners so that they can stabilize and care for those wounded by weapons and other victims of violence.
The next planned assistance activities are more donations of medical items (material for six hospitals), the provision of drinking water in trucks for health services and donations of chlorine, soap and oral rehydration salts for the most needy people in vulnerable areas. , like those of Cité-Soleil.
The ICRC urges all concerned actors to respect medical personnel and health services, including HRC volunteers and ambulances. The ICRC also calls on the national authorities to allow and enable the national medical system to fulfill its tasks, and on the international community to support the Haitian health system.
More information:
William Schomburgdeputy head of the ICRC mission in Haiti, +509 34 35 4638, [email protected]
Crystal Wells (English), ICRC, Geneva,
+41 79 642 80 56, [email protected]