Kidnappings of health workers in Haiti increased sharply in 2025 despite an overall decline in reported attacks on healthcare, according to a new report by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC).

The report, Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025, produced using data compiled by Insecurity Insight for the SHCC, identified 23 reported incidents of violence against or obstruction of healthcare during the year. That compares with 42 incidents reported in both 2024 and 2023.

According to the report, 15 health workers were kidnapped and five were killed in 2025, while health facilities were attacked on 13 occasions. The authors caution that the true scale of attacks is likely to be higher because insecurity, disrupted communications and reduced humanitarian access may have limited reporting.

The report says organised armed gangs continued to dominate large parts of Haiti during 2025, exercising territorial control over around 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince and key transport routes. It states that more than 8,100 people were reported killed between January and November, while around 1.4 million people were internally displaced and more than half the country's population required humanitarian assistance.

According to the SHCC, health facilities were repeatedly attacked, looted, deliberately set on fire or obstructed by armed groups, particularly in and around Port-au-Prince. The report says armed gangs opened fire on hospitals and aid convoys, stole ambulances and medical equipment, and in some cases forced hospitals to suspend services or evacuate staff. Facilities including Albert Schweitzer Hospital and Mirebalais University Hospital were among those affected, while parts of the State University Hospital of Haiti were reportedly set on fire.

The report also documents a rise in kidnappings of healthcare workers. It says 15 workers were abducted in four incidents during 2025, compared with four workers in 2024. Two mass kidnappings accounted for 13 of the victims. According to the report, eight kidnapped health workers were later released, while the fate of seven abducted international NGO staff members was not recorded.

The SHCC says five healthcare workers were killed during the year, including some who were reportedly targeted while travelling home or leaving work. It also cites the killing of a doctor who was reportedly stabbed after unidentified individuals entered her family home.

The report argues that continued violence has had a severe impact on Haiti's healthcare system. It cites estimates from Haiti's Ministry of Public Health and Population that around 40% of inpatient facilities nationwide had closed because of insecurity or looting, while between 60 and 80 % of health facilities in Port-au-Prince were closed or non-functional due to violence, supply disruptions and the departure of medical staff.

According to the report, insecurity has also disrupted access to maternal healthcare, emergency treatment and routine medical services, while prompting healthcare professionals to leave affected areas.

The report was produced by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition using data compiled by Insecurity Insight and forms part of the coalition's Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025 series.