The doctors who work in the hospitals that are part of the Haitian Medical Association (AMH) supported this Monday their first day of strike of a total of three days called to protest against the climate of insecurity that has been experienced for years in Haiti.
The doors of all hospitals, clinics and hospital centers attached to the AMH will remain closed until next Wednesday.
The strike began after the kidnapping of two doctors in their clinics in Port-au-Prince, on March 2 by individuals wearing National Police uniforms, without their release yet.
The AMH demands that the doors of the associated hospitals be closed due to these repeated cases of kidnapping in the country.
In addition, the Association of Pharmacists of Haiti (APH) encouraged all organized groups of civil society, such as unions, professional associations or student associations, to join the strike days.
"It is about protesting against insecurity, in particular kidnapping, which has already claimed too many victims in the country"reads a statement from the APH, which firmly believes that collective involvement will help curb this great evil "spread across the country".
Facing this scourge "a common front is imperative to take the bull by the horns"adds the note, where it is pointed out that to counteract "this security problem that is now national, the approach towards a definitive solution must be inclusive and national".
This strike movement is supported by the Meeting of Democrats, Nationals and Progressives party (RDNP, for its acronym in French), which argues that "these packages are run in broad daylight, often inside clinics and hospitals".
For at least two weeks, the support staff of the Haitian State University Hospital and the Justinien University Hospital have been on strike demanding better working conditions, a salary increase and better working conditions.
Other university hospitals, such as the Hospital de la Paix at Delmas 33, threaten to continue the protests.
In the last two years, kidnappings have multiplied in Haiti due to the proliferation of armed gangs, which are financed with ransoms, and violence has intensified in the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.
