Honduras: Back-to-back hurricanes leave 250,000 people with limited access to health care

New York, December 16, 2020—Hurricanes Eta and Iota have left more than 250,000 people in Honduras with limited access to health care services, but the international response remains insufficient to respond to the urgent needs, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Almost 50 percent of the health centers in Honduras are now closed, damaged, or experiencing interruption to their services. MSF calls on the international community to increase the emergency response in Honduras to address the urgent and acute needs left by this disaster.

"The humanitarian crisis that Honduras is experiencing today adds to several forgotten and invisible emergencies, including sexual violence, that require a priority medical response, [including] mental health care," said Juan Carlos Arteaga, MSF project coordinator in Choloma.

After more than a month of comprehensive medical assistance to those affected by Hurricane Eta and Iota in Choloma, MSF has supported more than 4,000 people and provided 2,087 general medical consultations. This includes treatment for skin diseases, physical trauma, respiratory infections, and patients with chronic diseases who had suspended their treatment.

Almost a third of the country's population has been affected by this emergency, most of them in Cortes department. At the end of November, an estimated 89,335 people were living in shelters. The shelters lack suitable facilities and amenities and many of them are overcrowded. MSF teams have provided medical and psychological care, and health promotion support in more than 190 shelters, located in the areas most affected by the hurricanes.

MSF is recommending that the government response focus on the health system and health surveillance to avoid potential outbreaks of vector-borne diseases and diseases caused by a lack of access to drinking water. Coordinated efforts must be made to improve water and sanitation conditions in the shelters.

MSF calls on the Honduran government to strengthen mental health services with a national policy, updated protocols, and sufficient staffing and budget to ensure proper access to mental health care during and after the emergency response to hurricanes Eta and Iota.