Kansas City-area surgeon who runs Haiti surgical center says the Caribbean country is in crisis

By Steve Kraske,

Published July 26, 2022 at 2:28 PM CDT

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Dr. Ted Higgins with his team at the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope in Fonds Parisien, Haiti.

Retired vascular surgeon Dr. Ted Higgins runs a surgical center in Haiti that generally sees an upwards of 20,000 patients per year. He says the humanitarian crisis the country faces is making it difficult for the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope to get patients the care they need.

Dr. Higgins says that, following the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has severely deteriorated, affecting access to power and running water. Many of the country's roads are controlled by gangs, making travel dangerous and the task of giving Haitians the surgical care they need an extremely onerous one.

KCUR's Up To Date welcomed Dr. Higgins onto the program to discuss the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope and how the current situation in Haiti is affecting that work.

Dr. Ted Higgins, creator of the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope