There has been an interesting turn of events pertaining to the clinic in Dumay. As you know, we had to shutter the clinic late last year due to the gang violence in the area where the clinic was located and because many people were moving out of that area.
For many months, we did not have any news about the clinic and we were wondering what had happened to it. We assumed it had potentially been occupied as a gang headquarters, looted, or even destroyed. This weighed heavily on us as the building was an important community resource for many years.
This changed in late November, however, when we were contacted by a friend, Father Rick Frechette, and Médecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) who asked our permission to visit the property to determine its usability for a potential cholera clinic and we, of course, agreed.
We were pleased to learn that, despite armed groups in power in Dumay, the clinic’s equipment property remain intact, indicating a great need for health services in this community.
Since that visit, MSF has taken over the space (with our full blessing) and is operating a cholera treatment center at the site.
Since MSF is a much larger organization with a culture and long experience of working in red areas under pressure and threats from armed groups, police, and local authorities, we are delighted that our previous investments in building renovations, construction of new infrastructure, and our purchased equipment for the clinic can continue to be used for the community of Dumay. We hope that MSF will work with the local community leaders and the Haitian government to be able to expand their offerings and provide even more services to the region in the near future.
We should note, that even in light of this news, Healing Art Missions will not be returning to Dumay. The security situation and violence in metropolitan areas are becoming increasingly worse. According to the International Organization for Migration “more than 96,000 people have left the capital for insecurity and gang violence during the last 5 months’’ and, although, MSF may be able to operate safely in the region due to their size and clout, but we could not ask any HAM staff to work in conditions that could jeopardize their safety or well-being. The areas of Dumay, Pernier, Tabare and the roads leading to Dumay are becoming increasingly dangerous and the majority of businesses have closed and a large part of the residents of these neighborhoods have moved away.
While the country is facing crisis period with an inflation rate of 47.2% We remain committed to supporting the rural Haitian population, and to continuing our own work in the southern region of Haiti specially in Nippes, which offers much safer working conditions for our team and where there is a significant lack of healthcare services available, and in Port-Salut in Cayes, where there is a dire need for surgery for children due to lack of qualified surgeons and anesthesiologists .