World Health Day spotlight: St. Damien Pediatric Hospital fights to stay open as gang violence shuts down Haiti’s healthcare system

PORT-AU-PRINCE — As gang violence paralyzes Haiti’s capital and its surrounding areas, forcing more than 20 hospitals to close, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital in Tabarre, a few miles northeast of downtown Port-au-Prince,  remains among the few still operating. But the hospital—known for treating childhood illnesses, performing lifesaving surgeries, and caring for high-risk pregnancies—is now at risk itself. Budget shortfalls, dwindling supplies and the worsening security crisis have pushed the facility to the brink, leading its officials to issue an urgent plea for help.

“Solidarity knows no borders. If people outside help us, it means we are not alone in facing these challenges,” Dr. Pascale Gassant, medical director of St. Damien Hospital, told The Haitian Times..

On the occasion of World Health Day, on April 7, Haiti’s healthcare system is on the brink of complete collapse. It has been devastated by gang violence, with many hospitals looted and shut down. 

Before the resurgence in escalation last month, over 20 public and private medical centers had already ceased operations, including critical hospitals such as the following:

• State University Hospital of Haiti (HUEH), also known as l’Hôpital General
• Saint-François de Sales Hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince
• Dash Hospital in Delmas 18 
• Croix-des-Bouquets Health Center
• Sainte-Catherine Labouré Hospital in Cité Soleil
• Aurore du Bel-Air Health Center  
• Saint-Martin 2 Health Center (Rue Saint-Martin)  
• Saint-Martin 1 Health Center (Delmas 3 and 18)  
• Sanatorium Hospital in Carrefour-Feuilles
• Bon-Repos Community Hospital
• Beudet Community Hospital
• Pernier Health Center

In December 2024, gangs attacked the State University Hospital, killing two journalists and injuring at least seven people in a shootout. Doctors Without Borders—Médecins Sans Frontières—which reopened some of its health centers across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, suspended its activities again in March 2025 after armed attacks on its staff.

Meanwhile, the roads to the few remaining hospitals, including St. Damien, are increasingly dangerous, making it nearly impossible for patients and medical staff to travel safely.

“We are determined. Every day, we risk our lives. But we need help,” said Dr. Gassant.

How St. Damien fights to save lives

Founded in 1989 and operated by the nonprofit Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs, French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters,” St. Damien is Haiti’s only pediatric hospital providing full-scale services, including childhood cancer treatments and maternal care. It remains a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable Haitian families.

St. Damien Hospital treats approximately 50,000 patients annually. With 224 beds, the hospital has expanded its maternity and neonatology services since the 2010 earthquake. It provides emergency care and treats conditions such as malnutrition, dehydration, and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV, as well as non-infectious diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The hospital also supports abandoned children and offers social assistance to patients in need.

Despite gang threats, 500 doctors, nurses and other staff continue working at the hospital, treating children and mothers under extreme conditions.

In 2024 alone, St. Damien recorded the following results:

• 1,260 births
• 131 pediatric surgeries
• 46 new cancer cases treated
• 100+ children seen daily in the outpatient clinic
• 500 children vaccinated each month                                                                                                  

The hospital’s 25-bed neonatology unit manages about 50% of Haiti’s infant mortality cases, while its oncology center treats nearly all pediatric cancers, except brain tumors.

However, funding shortages now threaten its malnutrition treatment programs, maternity and neonatology care and mother-to-child HIV prevention programs.

“We believe in a better future. It is essential to always have hope. Without hope, life loses its meaning. Lespwa fè viv,” said Dr. Gassant. “Despite the insecurity, we must continue our mission for children and mothers.”

“I could have died”: A former patient’s testimony

A former St. Damien patient, who requested to be identified by their first name, Davie, due to safety concerns, knows firsthand how critical the hospital is. At 11 years old, he was misdiagnosed with a cold, but St. Damien’s doctors discovered he had a life-threatening heart condition. Two surgeries later, Davie survived—and today, at 24, he supports the hospital’s fundraising efforts.

“I could have died, but St. Damien diagnosed and treated my heart disease,” Davie said in a video shared with The Haitian Times by the hospital staff. “Thanks to their generosity, I survived—and now, I help others.”

After losing his mother, Davie and his sister became orphans. When he fell ill, what was initially thought to be a cold turned out to be a serious heart condition, which St. Damien’s doctors treated.

Sincerely thankful to the medical staff at St. Damien, Davie went on to earn his degrees in Interpretation, Translation, and Entrepreneurship. He now works as a medical translator, assisting foreign medical staff and volunteers in communicating with patients. “I feel very blessed,” he says.

A call for urgent support

St. Damien is struggling to sustain its operations, with United States aid to Haiti frozen and USAID funds stalled. The hospital uses the occasion of World Health Day on April 7 to raise awareness and seek emergency funding.

“If St. Damien didn’t exist, children and mothers would die,” said Dr. Jenny Edouard, former HIV/AIDS program coordinator now living in the U.S.

As diseases spread, malnutrition worsens, and violence escalates, Haiti’s healthcare system is collapsing. Without immediate support, even the last remaining hospitals may not survive.

“We are used to crises, but the challenges we face today are greater than ever,” said Dr. Gassant. “Hope must be preserved so we can continue our mission.”

The crisis at St. Damien is part of a broader humanitarian disaster in Haiti. Since 2022, over 82,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported, and 1.6 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, worsening malnutrition, and the spread of diseases. Despite these challenges, hospitals like St. Damien continue to operate but face overwhelming obstacles, including limited supplies, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing insecurity.

UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations struggle to deliver necessary supplies via an airlift from Panama, while the country’s paralyzed infrastructure further exacerbates the crisis. These challenges threaten to push Haiti deeper into a humanitarian disaster.

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