Port-au-Prince, Friday, July 10, 2026 — The Executive Committee of the Student Council of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy / School of Biomedical Sciences and Optometry at the State University of Haiti (FMP-EBM-EO/UEH) has issued a call for a national strike day on Monday, July 13, 2026, to demand the relocation and reactivation of the State University of Haiti Hospital (HUEH), the country’s main university teaching hospital and largest public hospital.
In an official notice bearing reference CE-2026-095, dated July 9, 2026, student representatives invite public and private hospitals, health professionals, learned societies, health sciences faculties, and all stakeholders in Haiti’s health sector to participate in this national mobilization.
According to the Student Central Committee, this initiative aims to draw the attention of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) and state authorities to the urgent need for a sustainable solution to the situation of HUEH, which has been closed for more than twenty-seven months.
The prolonged closure of this facility represents, in the students’ view, a dual crisis: a crisis of access to care for the population and a crisis in the training of future health professionals.
“No health system can hope to meet the needs of its population while abandoning its main public university hospital,” the students argue in their communiqué.
The Student Committee also recalls that its approach is grounded in constitutional provisions relating to the right to health.
It specifically cites Article 19 of the Constitution, which makes the State the guarantor of citizens’ right to life and health, as well as Article 23, which provides that public authorities are obligated to ensure the necessary means for the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the population’s health.
For the students, keeping HUEH closed constitutes a violation of the State’s responsibilities toward its citizens. They believe the time has come to break the silence and take concrete action to save the hospital institution.
“Defending HUEH means defending the Constitution, the right to life, the right to health, the dignity of the Haitian people, and the future of generations of professionals called to serve the nation,” states the Executive Committee of the Student Council.
It should be recalled that the Executive Committee of the Student Council of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy / School of Biomedical Sciences and Optometry (FMP-EBM-EO) at the State University of Haiti (UEH) had strongly condemned the violence that occurred during the peaceful demonstration organized on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
The students were demonstrating to demand the temporary transfer of the State University of Haiti Hospital (HUEH), the main clinical training center for future physicians and health professionals.
During the mobilization, student Milot Exantus was struck in the right forearm by a projectile. Two other students, Wendy and Louis-Cendeur Massenard, were also reportedly assaulted.
In a communiqué issued on Thursday, July 2, the Communications Directorate of the Haitian National Police (DICOP) indicated that the PNH High Command had opened an investigation to identify the perpetrator of the gunfire. According to police, the driver of a green Nissan Xterra, license plate AA-13359, allegedly attempted to drive through the procession before firing several shots into the air after his vehicle was damaged.
For its part, the Student Executive Committee reaffirmed its determination to continue the mobilization until a temporary and dignified relocation is secured for the State University of Haiti Hospital (HUEH).
By Marie Farah Fortuné and Darbouze Figaro
