With only one hospital operating, Haiti's healthcare system collapses amid raging gang violence

Haiti’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse as gang violence has left no hope for the treatment of victims. According to media reports, several hospitals were set on fire and doctors murdered by gang members, while medical supplies were also snapped.

As a result of this, Haiti now has only one operational public hospital in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Mackynzie Archer, a consultant advising leading medical NGOs in Haiti said, “The healthcare system in Port-au-Prince is basically nonexistent,” adding that the situation is deteriorating quickly.

US starts evacuating citizens

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The spiralling violence has forced the US to start charter flights from Haiti to evacuate its citizens. A charter flight carrying dozens of US citizens from violence-hit Haiti landed in Miami Sunday (Mar 17), said State Department officials. The government-chartered flight carrying 30 US citizens landed at the Miami International Airport. This comes after the US embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged all Americans to leave the country amid spiralling gang violence.

"It's just terrible ... The suffering, you can only imagine," a passenger of the flight was quoted as saying by local media. "Haiti is my homeland and it's very stressful to see the homeland going through this act of violence, destruction ... and they are our neighbours," they added.

Haiti’s main airport shut down

The Port-au-Prince Airport has already been shut down due to ongoing gang attacks that have engulfed the nation in recent weeks, exacerbating the risk of famine.

Reports from government and aid agencies over the weekend highlight incidents of aid supply looting as the crisis deepens.

USA’s response

In response, the State Department announced on Saturday (Mar 16) that it would arrange limited charter flights for American citizens departing from the relatively calmer northern city of Cap-Haïtien.

However, officials cautioned that ground transportation to Cap-Haïtien could not be guaranteed, advising citizens to consider using the charter flights "only if you believe you can safely reach Cap-Haïtien airport".

"We encourage UScitizens still in Haiti who seek to depart to contact the Department of State using the crisis intake form on our website if they have not already done so," the department said.

Amid the increasing violence, the US military last week said it was taking steps to reinforce security at the US embassy in Haiti.

Hunger crisis in Haiti

According to a report by the UN food agency, nearly 4 million people in Haiti are facing food insecurity and hunger due to a wide range of factors, primarilygang violence.

Watch:Haiti Gang Violence Escalates: Healthcare ransacked, doctors murdered

A total of 360,000 people have been displaced in the country, and the number of people affected by hunger is likely to further increase to 1 million in the coming days.

Port-au-Prince has been turned into "a bubble" where gangs control the roads, the port and airport are closed and no one can get in or get out, said the UN agency.

(With inputs from agencies)