Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Medical care in Haiti

From victims of gunshot wounds and domestic violence to common road injuries, Trinite Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti is inundated with trauma cases dailyGunfire no longer fills the nights the way it did when he was last in Haiti in 2006, but the workload for aid workers hasn't diminished. Instead hospitals like Trinite are dealing with trauma cases the public health system is incapable of handling, Moller tells CNN.

While the security situation in Haiti has improved during the last two years, the public health system remains in disarray, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders.

The organization, which offers free care at three clinics in Port-au-Prince, says basic health services are practically non-existent in the capital city, the result of a public health system marred by mismanagement, strikes and shortages of medical personnel and supplies.

"The Haitian system is at breakpoint," says Moller. The private health care sector has developed in recent years, but most in poverty-stricken Haiti cannot afford to pay the fees charged for servicesMSF is urging the international community to increase pressure on Haiti to improve its health system. The call comes as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Haiti's Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis and representatives of donor countries are set to meet in Washington Tuesday to discuss international assistance for the country.

1 comment:

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