Haiti’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Garry Conille, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after spending the night receiving treatment for an undisclosed condition.
In a YouTube video, Conille reassured the public that he was feeling well and ready to address the country’s pressing issues, including the ongoing security crisis and healthcare challenges.
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“The entire time I was at the hospital, I kept thinking about this: People who need to go to the general hospital can’t get there due to widespread violence. People who need healthcare can’t afford it,” Conille said in the video.
Conille arrived in Haiti on June 1 after being selected by a transitional council as the new prime minister. Before his appointment, he served as UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The new prime minister faces significant challenges, including addressing rampant gang violence and severe poverty, with inflation soaring to a record 29%, according to the latest data.
In recent years, gangs have taken control of at least 80% of Port-au-Prince, displacing more than 360,000 people and dominating key routes from the capital to Haiti’s northern and southern regions, often disrupting the transport of essential goods.
Conille’s predecessor, Ariel Henry, resigned in April after coordinated gang attacks seized police stations, raided prisons, and fired on the main international airport during Henry’s official trip to Kenya. The Haitian government is now awaiting a U.N.-backed police force deployment from Kenya and other countries.
A close associate of Conille, who wished to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press on Saturday night that Conille, who is asthmatic and sometimes uses an inhaler, appeared to have trouble breathing. The associate contacted high-ranking officials, who arranged for Conille to be taken to the hospital.
In the video released Sunday, Conille appeared in good spirits, wearing a purple shirt and speaking against a backdrop of trees and bushes. “I hope that by early next week we can have a government in place,” he said. “I am doing everything we can to get out of this crisis.”
