Gang blockade cripples Haiti fuel supplies, hospitals prepare to close

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Gang blockade cripples Haiti fuel supplies, hospitals prepare to close

Harold Isaac and Brian Ellsworth
Tue, September 27, 2022 at 12:04 PM

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A gang blockade of Haiti's principal fuel terminal has crippled day-to-day activities in the Caribbean nation and now threatens to force the closure of hospitals that rely on diesel generators for electricity.

Port-au-Prince gangs in a brazen move this month dug trenches and littered shipping containers at entrances to the Varreux terminal to protest a Sept 11 announcement that the government would cut fuel subsidies due to their high cost.

"Some hospitals are unable to admit new patients and are preparing to close," wrote United Nations children's agency UNICEF in a statement on Monday, adding that three quarters of major hospitals were affected by the shortages.

"Providing sterile conditions for medical interventions is becoming more challenging and conserving vaccines due to the disruption to cold-chain facilities has become problematic."

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/gang-blockade-cripples-haiti-fuel-160431312.html

[onecaliberal]

1. Praying for Haiti.

🙏🏻🙏🏻