Haiti: The Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement calls for respect for patients and the medical mission

Haiti: The Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement calls for respect for patients and the medical mission

Port-au-Prince, 20 July 2022 - In the light of recent surges in armed violence in metropolitan Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement reminds everyone that people who are injured or affected in any other way must be allowed to access medical facilities and medical attention without discrimination, at all times and in all circumstances.
News release 26 July 2022 Haiti

Recent surges in armed violence in metropolitan Port-au-Prince are having a devastating impact over the population, particularly in Cité Soleil. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement reminds everyone that people who are injured or affected in any other way must be allowed to access medical facilities and medical attention freely, without discrimination, at all times and in all circumstances. People's live and integrity must be respected and protected.

Health-care workers, vehicles and facilities must be respected and protected. They must never be hindered in their work to prevent and alleviate human suffering, wherever it is found; nor must they be prevented from safeguarding lives and health and ensuring people are treated with respect.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a neutral, impartial and independent movement whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the live and dignity of victims of armed conflict or other situations of violence, and natural disasters, and to provide them with assistance whenever necessary. In line with the humanitarian principles, it is imperative to respect the red cross emblem, ambulances and first-aid workers, including volunteers, in Haiti.

For more information, please contact:
William Schomburg, ICRC – Haiti mission, tel: +509 34 35 4638
Périclès Jean Baptiste, Haitian National Red Cross Society, tel: +509 4895 6149
Susana Arroyo, IFRC – Americas Regional Office, tel: +507 6999 3199