NEWS UPDATE

Port au Prince/New York, March 1, 2004 - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) re-launched its emergency response program in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince after widespread reports of killings and lootings limited MSF's ability to get to Saint François de Salle Hospital safely over the weekend.

As the situation stabilized Monday morning, MSF doctors and nurses returned to the hospital's emergency room to provide treatment for those wounded during the fray. So far, since the start of the program on Friday, MSF has treated nearly twenty patients, all civilians, most of whom were brought to the hospital with bullet wounds. As of March 1, two had died.

Security in the streets and safe access to hospitals and clinics remains a primary concern as MSF continues its emergency medical activities. Last week, several armed intrusions occurred in Port-au-Prince hospitals, frightening and threatening both medical staff and patients. These events clearly illustrate a lack of respect for the impartiality of health structures and reinforce the urgent need of unhindered access to care for all patients.

© 2004 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)