Haitian doctors call for countrywide strikes after two colleagues kidnapped

By The Haitian Times Staff

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Members of the Haitian Medical Association (AMH) have called for a three-day strike starting March 14 to protest Haiti’s continued insecurity and kidnappings. The doctors say they want  the government to take action to restore order, put a stop to kidnappings and bring peace to Haiti.

The call for strikes follows the kidnappings of Dr. Pierre Boncy, a urologist, and Dr. Michel D’Alexis, a gynecologist, from their clinic at Ruelle Berne earlier this month. It is unclear whether kidnappers have demanded a ransom for the release of the doctors.

The group plans to strike March 14 to 16, and asks that doctors remain available to help the ill and for emergency services to continue being available in all nine departments.

The doctors group is the latest among professional organizations that have called on residents to protest Haiti’s persistent insecurity and kidnappings. In the past year, groups of journalists, pastors, lawyers and women’s rights advocates have taken to the streets to draw attention to the county’s plight.