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This little girl received compassionate care at our Cap-Haitien clinic. |
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What is a mom to do when her little girl is sick? Well, she would take her to the doctor, of course! But in Haiti, that may not be so easy. Haiti has a very underdeveloped healthcare system, which makes it hard to find adequate medical care. Extreme poverty compounds the situation since treatment often cannot be afforded even when it is available. As a result, medical treatment is delayed until the last minute, often with disastrous results.
USAID provides some statistics about healthcare in Haiti you might find amazing*:
● A weak health system: Roughly 40 percent of the population lack access to essential health and nutrition services; only 45 percent of all children (12-23 months) are fully vaccinated and 22 percent of children under 5 years old are stunted.
● Funding environment: Government spending for health is low and only represents 6 percent of all government expenditure for the country. There is still heavy reliance on international funding to provide Haitians access to health care services.
● Human resources for health: Attracting and retaining qualified health professionals is a chronic struggle, with as few as six health professionals per 10,000 people.
● Health infrastructure: The destruction created by the 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew exacerbated an existing lack of adequate health infrastructure, such as health care and storage facilities, as well as access to electricity, clean water and sanitation systems.
All of these issues and many more are why we opened the clinic in Cap-Haitien, meeting the needs of the immediate neighborhood as well as rural locations which have even less access to healthcare. Because the clinic operates as a charity, moms have options when their kids are sick. And all of this is possible because you pray and give. Moms in Haiti are grateful for all of you, and so are we!
Dan Merrefield
for the Haiti Cheri Team
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