PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The director of one of Haiti’s top hospitals has been kidnapped, prompting staff to refuse to take in new patients as the impoverished country battles coronavirus amid a spike in gang violence.
Dr. Jerry Bitar, a surgeon, was kidnapped shortly after leaving his home on Friday to go to work at Hospital Bernard Mevs.
“Hospital staff decided not to take any new cases for the time being,” administrative assistant Carla Puzo said. “We will continue to look after those already here
Kidnappings for ransom have sharply increased this year amid a political and economic crisis in Haiti, which according to the World Bank is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Gangs appear to strike indiscriminately, with victims ranging from Haitian schoolchidren, lawmakers and businessmen to foreign aid workers.
A crowd gathered outside the facility in solidarity with Bitar, who runs the hospital together with his twin brother, while staff chanted calls for his release. Haitian media outlets also pleaded for bandits to free Bitar.
