Destroyed Haiti hospital was a ‘beacon’ and its loss will be felt, says N.L. doctor
Dr. Art Rideout, CEO of Team Broken Earth, says the loss of the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince will be devastating for the community. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
December 23, 2024 Story by Elizabeth Whitten
The Haitian hospital where Newfoundland and Labrador medical volunteers laboured for years to help those in need has been destroyed by gangs — something a doctor who worked out the site says is a major blow to the country’s medical infrastructure.
Earlier this month the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince was attacked by armed gangs who destroyed vital medical infrastructure.
“You can imagine a huge city with millions of people. This was a beacon for help and non-partisan, just helped everybody. And to see that lost, it’s just a shame,” Team Broken Earth chief executive officer Dr. Art Rideout told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
It was a “gut wrench” when he heard the hospital had been attacked, he said.
The hospital was the main base of operations for Team Broken Earth’s Haiti medical trips and over the years, he saw how the hospital had advanced, adding that Newfoundland and Labrador was a part of that growth.
“There’s a three-level structure there, earthquake-proof, that was built through the generosity of Newfoundlanders,” he said. “There’s a shell there. But at the end of the day, trying to define the extent of it — it’s just heartbreaking to see that lost.”
While he said they don’t currently know the exact extent of the damage, a lot of essential infrastructure has been destroyed.
“We know that those structures — critical ones, operating rooms, emerge — they’re just burnt.”
Dr. Art Rideout says conditions in Haiti have made it impossible to bring in volunteers but he hopes to return one day. (Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press)
Dr. Art Rideout says conditions in Haiti have made it impossible to bring in volunteers but he hopes to return one day. (Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press)
The international medical relief organization was co-founded by St. John’s orthopedic surgeon Andrew Furey in 2011, after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. Furey played a pivotal role in Team Broken Eartth for years before he jumped into politics. He has been Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier since 2020.
In a social media post, Furey called the attack on the hospital “evil.”
“I’m honestly at a loss for words. This place has helped so many people in Haiti. It gave care. It gave hope. It did not deserve this,” he wrote.
Devastating loss Rideout said Bernard Mevs Hospital has a special place in Team Broken Earth’s history.
“It’s built into our DNA. It’s the place that we went first to bring a team and really made a difference, integrated into their learning, their community, based on our skill set of trauma,” he said.
Due to security concerns he said volunteers lived on the hospital’s site during the duration of their stays.
N.L. premier Andrew Furey, centre, pictured here during a Team Broken Earth mission in Haiti in 2014, called this month’s attack ‘evil.’ (Anthony Germain/CBC)
Rideout said Bernard Mevs Hospital has a special place in Team Broken Earth’s history.
“It’s built into our DNA. It’s the place that we went first to bring a team and really made a difference, integrated into their learning, their community, based on our skill set of trauma,” he said.
Due to security concerns he said volunteers lived on the hospital’s site during the duration of their stays.
He said its loss will be felt by the community.
“It’s devastating,” said Rideout.
Rideout said Team Broken Earth hasn’t been back to Haiti since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that political instability in the country has made a return trip challenging.
He said the situation in Haiti is complex and if volunteers are to return to the country, the situation would have to be safe for them as well as their patients.
“There’s a gap there,” he said. “How that gap closes is — that’s a complex situation that I hope all of us can work together.”
