Chido: Six months after the cyclone, the health system in Mayotte is more strained than ever

On December 14, 2024, Cyclone Chido, a category 4 out of 5, ravaged the island of Mayotte, leaving behind 40 dead, 41 missing, and thousands injured. In France's ^101st department, the poorest of all, nearly two-thirds of residential buildings were damaged or destroyed. Hospital facilities were also affected. The cyclone struck a region already battered by previous health crises. Six months later, the healthcare system is struggling to recover.

The gusts of wind blew away a large part of the Mayotte hospital in Mamoudzou, the heart of the archipelago's healthcare system. "It's raining in the operating room," Somo Saïndou, a midwife at the hospital, is outraged. "There is no will to rebuild," she complains. Due to a lack of beds, she is forced to place maternity patients "in the corridors, sometimes on the floor."

The hospital's pharmaceutical warehouse was devastated, and smaller temporary pharmacies had to replace it. Deliveries are slowed by the disruption to the port and airport, which were also affected by the cyclone. This has led to recurring shortages of medical equipment, needles, masks, etc. "We have to make do with our own resources ," laments Madjidi Mouayad, a caregiver and secretary of the SUD-Santé-Sociaux union, which initiated an indefinite strike notice filed on May 19, " and it's getting worse every day."

Other unions have alerted the government on the "explosive" situation in the department, in a letter sent to the press on June 2. According to them, the Mayotte hospital center "has still not been made watertight," and some healthcare buildings are so damaged that they are beyond repair.

You have 70.15% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.