Haiti Fuel Shortages Put Hospitalized Women, Children in Danger as Gangs Tighten Grip

Women and children in Haiti are at risk of dying if the country's fuel shortage problem is not addressed, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The lives of many pregnant women and newborns are in peril, according to UNICEF Deputy Representative for Haiti, Raoul de Torcy, who claimed on Sunday that hospitals responsible for providing them with life-saving treatment are unable to function, owing to a shortage of fuel.

They will die, he claims, if healthcare services fail to satisfy their demands. Because they don't have enough gasoline to power generators and keep emergency services functioning, several hospitals in Haiti have issued UNICEF distress alerts, Republic World reported.

Haiti fuel shortage risking lives, UNICEF warns

According to UNICEF, two major hospitals in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are unable to function efficiently, endangering the lives of 300 children, 45 women in maternity hospitals, and 70 other individuals. The most vulnerable are about 150 COVID-19 patients in hospitals who require emergency care.

UNICEF secured a deal with a local firm to supply fuel to hospitals in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan region, but the supplier was unable to fulfill the contract. It has also aided in the construction of approximately 900 solar refrigerators in health institutions as a temporary alternative for keeping vaccinations in excellent condition.

A report released last week by a non-governmental organization said approximately 800 kidnappings have occurred in Haiti this year. Seventeen missionaries from the United States and Canada who were abducted by a gang while returning from a visit to an orphanage are still being held hostage, as per BBC.

The group has demanded a ransom of $1 million for each of them. Insecurity has risen dramatically in Haiti as criminal gangs have gained control of ever-larger swaths of land.

The gangs' power has risen even more as a result of the political unrest that has followed President Jovenel Mose's killing by mercenaries on July 7. Following a severe earthquake on August 14, several gangs declared a cease-fire to let humanitarian help reach the worst-affected communities, but they have subsequently resumed extorting, threatening, and in some cases kidnapping drivers.

Haiti's companies' at risk of halting operations in the coming days

Due to frequent blackouts, many Haitian companies and organizations rely on diesel generators to provide electricity. Fuel deliveries are too perilous for truckers who are at risk of kidnapping or hijacking, according to transportation sector officials.

Per Global Times, UNICEF said it had an agreement with a local firm to supply fuel to hospitals in Port-au-Prince and Haiti's southern peninsula, which was hit by an earthquake in August, but the company backed out due to security concerns.

The inability to transport gasoline has prompted industry organizations, including the country's largest mobile service provider, to issue warnings that services may have to be halted in the coming days. A request for response from the government was not immediately returned.

"Many child-bearing mothers and newborn babies' lives are in jeopardy since hospitals that should provide them with life-saving treatment are unable to function regularly owing to a lack of fuel," said Raoul de Torcy, UNICEF Deputy Representative for Haiti.