I’m Adams Emmanuel Milhomme, a doctor and assistant manager with Zanmi Lasante’s TB/HIV program in Saint-Marc. My job is to treat, accompany and listen. But today, being a doctor in Haiti also means facing an increasingly trying reality every day.
The crisis the country is going through is catching up with us at every level. Insecurity, high living costs, instability… Even traveling to visit family is becoming a danger. I live far from my family, and every call from my mother brings back the same request: “Leave the area. Protect yourself.” My relatives are afraid. They advise me to leave, to save myself. I can understand that. But it’s not that simple when you’ve made the choice to serve.
On the ground, the impact is brutal. Many areas have become inaccessible, our patients can no longer always get to appointments. Community activities have been suspended. And we, the caregivers, carry on as best we can, between fatigue, frustration and a deep sense of powerlessness.
I’m not going to lie: I’m scared, too. After what happened in Mirebalais, how could I not be? The rumors, the threats, the climate of constant tension… And yet, every day, we get back on the road, we enter the consulting room, we reach out. Because we know why we’re here. Because we know that, despite everything, we make a difference.
But we must also say what many don’t always dare to express: we need support. Many of us are holding on at arm’s length, sacrificing our personal balance, our mental health. Some colleagues have already left the country. Others have simply given up, for lack of means or hope. Those who remain deserve to be seen, listened to, supported.
This is an appeal I make to all those who support us, here and elsewhere.
Caregivers in Haiti continue to stand their ground, sometimes under extreme conditions. But to continue this mission, we need more than courage.
We need human resources, psychological support, the means to preserve our own equilibrium. Because taking care of ourselves also means guaranteeing the quality of care we offer to others. We cannot bear the burden of this crisis alone. Your support can make all the difference.
Behind every healthcare worker who keeps going, there is a fragile system that needs strengthening. Today more than ever, your support is essential.
Make a donation. Support the caregivers. Help us keep going.