On January 12, 2010, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 280,000 people, injured 300,000, and destroyed millions of homes as well as nearly 60% of health infrastructure. M\u00e9decins du Monde pays tribute to all those affected directly or indirectly by the disaster, reviews its actions, and raises the alarm about a humanitarian crisis as violent as the earthquake and constantly worsening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4517,"template":"","actualite_type":[10],"actualite_sujet":[178],"action_combat":[],"mdm_pays":[],"class_list":["post-5151","actualite","type-actualite","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","actualite_type-international-actions","actualite_sujet-haiti-2"],"acf":{"mise_en_avant":false,"chapeau":"On January 12, 2010, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 280,000 people, injured 300,000, and destroyed millions of homes as well as nearly 60% of health infrastructure. M\u00e9decins du Monde pays tribute to all those affected directly or indirectly by the disaster, reviews its actions, and raises the alarm about a humanitarian crisis as violent as the earthquake and constantly worsening.","cta_type":"don","cta_lien":{"title":"Faites un don pour soutenir nos efforts continus en Ha\u00efti","url":"https:\/\/dons.medecinsdumonde.ca\/HAITI\/?lng=0","target":"_blank"},"contenu":"
Fifteen years after the earthquake, Haiti is facing a spiral of ongoing violence that compounds the multiple health, humanitarian, and security challenges plaguing the country. More than 5,600 people were killed in 2024 due to the surge in violence, according to the UN\u2014a rise of over 1,000 compared to the total number of people killed in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe January 2010 earthquake struck a healthcare system that was already far from optimal. Over the past two years, institutions have been under attack and are unable to function properly. A large portion of the population struggles to access healthcare,\u201d notes the medical coordinator for M\u00e9decins du Monde in Haiti.<\/p>\n
The public system suffers from chronic underfunding, a shortage of resources, and a critical lack of staff. Currently, only 37% of healthcare facilities in Port-au-Prince are fully operational and remain difficult to access due to insecurity, according to the UN. Over 40,000 healthcare workers have fled the country because of the violence, as reported by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). Most private facilities have closed, and many victims cannot afford their services. Healthcare staff, patients, and institutions are being targeted, a situation firmly condemned by M\u00e9decins du Monde<\/a>. The international community\u2019s response remains insufficient to address the urgency of the situation and the collapse of the healthcare system.<\/p>\n Haiti is experiencing a crisis that continues to worsen day by day and has ultimately been forgotten by the rest of the world, even as 5.5 million people require humanitarian aid and the needs are both complex and urgent.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want the system to be able to function on its own, which is why we support it. When we see what we\u2019ve been able to do with our resources, the population is already very grateful\u2014it\u2019s worth continuing. Resilience is an emblematic quality of the Haitian people. We witnessed it on January 12, 2010, when people who had lost everything helped each other, shared what they had, and continued to live and smile.\u201d \u2013 Medical coordinator for M\u00e9decins du Monde in Haiti.<\/p>\n Present in Haiti since 1996, M\u00e9decins du Monde was already supporting health services long before the earthquake on January 12, 2010. This deep-rooted community presence enabled local teams to act immediately to address the urgent needs of the population in the Port-au-Prince area, the capital, which was severely affected by the disaster.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the ground shook, I was working as a general practitioner in Port-au-Prince. It was in the context of the post-earthquake response in 2010 that I joined M\u00e9decins du Monde. Even before this disaster, the organization was already supporting health services in Cit\u00e9 Soleil through programs to combat HIV\/AIDS, malnutrition, and maternal and child health, while conducting community awareness activities. This close connection with the community facilitated the rapid deployment of mobile clinics, benefiting not only displaced persons living in camps but also residents of adjacent neighborhoods, who were often deprived of access to care even before the earthquake.\u201d \u2013 Medical coordinator for M\u00e9decins du Monde in Haiti.<\/p>\n After the January 12 earthquake, M\u00e9decins du Monde set up a semi-permanent clinic in a displacement camp, along with mobile clinics serving eight camps and several neighborhoods in Cit\u00e9 Soleil. In addition to medical care, displaced populations received mental health and psychosocial support to address the invisible wounds of the disaster. Emergency and reconstruction interventions continued until 2012, before shifting focus to strengthening existing health centers in collaboration with public institutions, health authorities, and local communities.<\/p>\n In October 2010, a cholera epidemic broke out along the Artibonite River in Haiti. This acute intestinal infection, introduced by Nepalese soldiers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), was responsible for the deaths of 9,792 Haitians between 2010 and 2019, according to estimates from the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP). For 10 years, M\u00e9decins du Monde, in collaboration with authorities and other partners and thanks to its community presence, fought against the spread of the disease. Its actions included setting up 19 oral rehydration stations, a treatment unit in Cit\u00e9 Soleil, and rapid response mobile teams (EMIRA), treating nearly 10,000 people, and raising awareness among over 141,000 individuals. Subsequently, M\u00e9decins du Monde\u2019s interventions against the epidemic expanded to the entire metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince and the Northwest department. In 2022, during an official ceremony marking the elimination of cholera in Haiti, the efforts of M\u00e9decins du Monde\u2019s team were commended by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Health and Population.<\/p>\n In October 2022, a cholera epidemic resurfaced in Haiti after nearly three years without cases, spreading rapidly across the country. Insecurity, fuel shortages, and difficulties accessing care worsened the situation, leading to a resurgence in six departments. Although under control, the situation remains conducive to the spread of cholera and other diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis, measles, and polio, particularly in displacement sites. M\u00e9decins du Monde reaffirmed its commitment by responding quickly to the needs of affected communities.<\/a><\/p>\n With all the challenges facing the Haitian population, M\u00e9decins du Monde is calling for your generosity to continue providing physical and mental healthcare to the most vulnerable individuals and communities in this multifaceted crisis.<\/p>\n I donate to Haiti<\/a><\/p>\nWhen someone has knee pain, the pain is sharp at first\u2014it immediately grabs their attention. They will seek care quickly to relieve the suffering. But if the pain persists for a long time, the person starts living with it; it becomes a habit, it no longer captures their attention\u2014and that\u2019s a bit like the situation in the country,\u201d said the medical coordinator for M\u00e9decins du Monde in Haiti.<\/h2>\n
Responding to the Emergency Through Well-Established Community Ties<\/h2>\n
Continuing the Fight Against Cholera<\/h2>\n
M\u00e9decins du Monde in Haiti<\/h2>\n