Early this month, 31-year-old Melchior visited a doctor in Haiti, complaining of headaches.
He underwent an MRI and got his diagnosis several days later: a tumor in the pituitary gland, at the base of his brain.
Melchior’s neurologists told him the surgery he needed could not be performed in Haiti, where the poorly funded healthcare system is ill-equipped to handle cancer patients, but with flights out of the nation suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not clear whether the surgery could be performed anywhere else either.
Photo: AFP
And the clock is ticking.
Melchior is among the thousands of Haitian cancer patients who seek treatment abroad, and whose lives could now be at risk because of the pandemic — but not the actual coronavirus itself.
“I had paid for my tickets to Cuba, but the night before I was supposed to leave the president said they had to close the borders, close the airports due to the pandemic,” Melchior said in a telephone interview.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Thursday last week announced a halt to all air travel after Haiti’s first two confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Many nations have curtailed travel in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but there are of course some exceptions to the ban.
Melchior, who asked that his surname not be used, could present an official document from the hospital in Cuba, explaining that they plan to perform his operation, to get special clearance to leave, but when he contacted the hospital, the global nature of the health crisis threw a new obstacle in his path.
“They told me that they were closed. Cuba ordered them to shut down because their doctors had gone to Europe to help the countries hit by the pandemic,” he said, darkly laughing at the irony.
The focus on COVID-19 has healthcare professionals concerned.
“Now everyone is paying attention to the coronavirus, even while other diseases are still very much present,” said Pascale Yola, who runs the nation’s only pediatric oncology unit.
Even before the travel restrictions, receiving a cancer diagnosis in Haiti could be news that is just short of a death sentence. In a nation where 35 percent of the population is aged 15 or under, the sole pediatric oncology center only has 17 beds.
“The survival of these children really depends on this epidemic now,” Yola said.
Radiation therapy is not available in Haiti. Young people under Yola’s care who need such treatment are often sent to the Dominican Republic.
“We have three children on the waiting list right now,” she said. “When they declared the first coronavirus cases in the Dominican Republic, we had to cancel these trips to ensure the children are not exposed to the virus. That could be fatal for them, just like for everyone else.”
Even the treatments Yola can provide are on hold in many cases, as Haiti’s already low blood supply has taken a hit.
Surgeries have been postponed for patients at her clinic, Yola said, warning that the situation affected far more people with cancer.
“Adult patients who are currently in Haiti cannot continue with their treatment. It’s a major problem,” she said. “The disease will progress and they will die.”
Melchior and his family have tried to bring his plight to the attention of the authorities, though his health has made even that effort difficult.
So far, he has had no luck.
“I have had to go out nearly every day, and that is all while the virus is spreading in Haiti. I have to protect myself, try to limit my outings,” he said.
Without treatment, Melchior is now experiencing painful migraines daily and has lost vision in his left eye, but he remains upbeat.
“Luckily, I am surrounded by great people who cannot cure me of a tumor, but who can cheer me up,” he said.
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