Key facts
- Dozens of medical students protested in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, demanding the reopening of the University Hospital of Haiti.
- Police fired live bullets into the protesting crowd, injuring at least one student.
- The University Hospital of Haiti, also known as the General Hospital, has been closed since 2024 due to gang violence.
- The closure of the hospital has severely impacted healthcare access for millions.
- Students reported that police used tear gas and live ammunition against their peaceful demonstration.
Medical students in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, marched on Wednesday to demand the government reopen the University Hospital of Haiti, a major public facility closed since 2024 due to gang violence. Donning white coats, the students marched from their university to the prime minister's office, where anti-riot police blocked their advance. An Associated Press journalist witnessed a police officer fire live bullets into the air and at the crowd, hitting at least one student in the arm. Students reported that police also used tear gas. Esdras Paul, president of the council of the faculty of medicine, condemned the police actions, stating that students were victims of live ammunition during a peaceful demonstration. The closure of the General Hospital, as it is also known, has strained resources at other health institutions and deprived an estimated 4.4 million people of healthcare, with about 70% of public health facilities shuttered last year due to gang violence. Medical students had previously protested for the same reason, facing tear gas from police.