Highlights
● The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Haiti has increased three-fold in a year. More than 1 million people (55% women and girls) are now displaced with urgent needs for protection, access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, shelter, food, water, sanitation, and hygiene.
● On 13 December, the maternity hospital, Isaïe Jeanty, Croix-des-Bouquets, in the Ouest Department, reopened. The hospital had been closed since it was ransacked during the February 2024 crisis. UNFPA provided medicines and equipment to strengthen the provision of emergency obstetric care, the clinical management of rape, and the management of complications related to unsafe abortions.
● Many health facilities have closed or drastically reduced their operations due to the continued violence. Only a third of health facilities in the capital, Port-au-Prince, are fully functional and are difficult for women and girls to reach due to security concerns.
● Weeks of relentless rain in Haiti’s North-West department culminated in catastrophic flooding and landslides in the capital city, Port-de-Paix, on 22 December. The city was submerged, causing multiple deaths and injuries, leaving thousands displaced and damaging infrastructure (roads, schools, and bridges) and crops. UNFPA provided medicines and supplies to health facilities to respond to SRH and gender-based violence (GBV) needs. From 6 to 14 January 2025, UNFPA and UN agencies conducted a joint needs assessment.
Situation Overview
● Since 11 November 2024, there has been a significant increase and an intensification in violence by armed gangs, coupled with major political turbulence. The deterioration of the security situation has been marked by an increase in kidnappings and killings.
● The international port and airport in Port-au-Prince remain closed. This continues to impact and delay the shipping of medical supplies, including reproductive health supplies and equipment for emergency obstetric care and the clinical management of rape. UNFPA is looking at alternative routes to get supplies into the country.
● Gangs have ransacked and destroyed hospitals and health facilities, forcing many to shutter or suspend operations. The Bernard Hospital was attacked on 17 December and gangs opened fire at the reopening of the Haitian State University Hospital on 24 December - both hospitals are located in Port-au-Prince.
● The Hôpital Universitaire de La Paix, Delmas, has seen an increase in the number of women seeking maternal health services, despite limited capacity. Following the November 2024 crisis, the hospital recorded 300 cesarean sections a month. The Director of the hospital estimates that 40% of all cesarean cases in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince (MZPAP) are referred to the hospital.