19998: radtimes: High death toll in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: radtimes <resist@best.com>

High death toll in Haiti

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/06/1078464683875.html

March 6, 2004
Reuters

The Panamerican Health Organization said today the main hospital in
Port-Au-Prince is holding the bodies of nearly 200 victims of violence
during a month-long revolt in Haiti, suggesting the death toll in the
uprising could be far higher than so far reported.

PAHO, among the first international organisations to provide death toll
figures, said officials were struggling to restart basic services at the
capital's main University Hospital of Haiti.

An armed revolt erupted on February 5 and helped lead to the ouster of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday. The death toll had been
estimated at more than 100, but could be far higher, including the 200
noted by PAHO and other slayings across the country.

The University Hospital has around 800 cadavers in its morgue, PAHO said,
adding that it estimated "200 bodies were victims of the violence in the
past two weeks".

The hospital is the biggest health facility serving Port-au-Prince and its
surroundings, and caters mostly to those who cannot afford private care.

PAHO officials did not know whether more bodies were accumulating at other
morgues.

The regional health body said in a statement that the revolt has devastated
Haiti's already inadequate health care system. "Since the start of the
crisis, (the University Hospital) has been closed and its staff has not
returned to work due to the lack of pay," it said.

PAHO has supplied emergency generators to ten hospitals in the past few
days, but staff has not returned and Cuban medics were attending emergency
rooms, PAHO said.

Cuba had sent around 500 medics to Haiti under an assistance agreement with
Aristide's government, and most have agreed to stay on despite the
violence, according to Cuban diplomatic sources in Washington.

Several other countries have also donated cash or equipment for the Haitian
health system.

.