Health

The tourist destination that is Grand Goave is often forgotten when the time comes for state authorities to make planning decisions. It's one of the reasons why the coastal town, known for its beaches that tourists love to frequent, has been slow on the technological upgrades. Linked to the country by only a mobile phone service, one radio station, one TV station and virtually no postal service, the town also only has one hospital to speak of. Luckily, the staff at Hopital Georges Gauvin, comprised of dedicated doctors and nurses, some from Cuba, handle the daily traffic valiantly.

Rue Boisrond-Tonnere - Grand-Goave, Haiti
Grand-Goave
Phone: 2287-9779

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Providing necessary health-care services in the Sud-Est region, the Centre Hospitalier Christian Martinez in Jacmel is equipped for everyday medical care, and also works well in emergencies as evidenced by their work during the two 2010 disasters of the earthquake and Hurricane Tomas. The hospital, which has been in operation for 10 years now, can be found across from Parquet de Jacmel. It has a staff of around 50 people who are versed in the languages of Creole, French, English and Spanish.

Address:
Rue Seymour Pradel # 47 - Jacmel, Haiti
3458-2111/ 3879-4477

Other Hospitals in Departement Sud-est, Sud-est, Jacmel:
Hospital Saint-Michel de Jacmel

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Did you know that Haiti has the highest number of women with Cervical cancer in the world?

The risk factors for cervical cancer include human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, smoking, taking birth control pills, and engaging in early sexual contact.

Statistical figures suggest that cervical cancer, one of the main causes of cancer deaths, is a disease of poverty; it is more prevalent among the poor and 85% of cervical cancer occurs in the developing world with a 50% mortality rate all around the world. Haiti has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the world. The people in the poor countries are more susceptible to this form of the disease because the latest detection tools like 'Pap smear screening test', etc. are not easily available in these countries, the presence of very few well equipped laboratories and skilled personnel make the situation worse. The poor people, especially from remote locations cannot continue necessary treatments and some of the recommend follow up tests. According to some health experts, a test with vinegar, named 'VIA' (visual inspection with acetic acid) can be a good low cost solution in such circumstances.

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Isaie Jeanty Women's Hospital is located in the slum of Cite Soleil. It is a maternity hospital not equipped to handle the women it admits due to a bed shortage. The hospital doesn't even have a kitchen.

Non-profit Outside the Bowl made a deal with the Haitian government to build a Super Kitchen. The government will provide the property gratis and OTB will feed hospital staff and patients as well as provide to other food programs in Cite Soleil.

Boulevard Jean-Jacques Dessalines - Port-au-Prince, Haiti
509-222-2757

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Here is a picture of the Conjoined twin who were successfully separated in Haiti at University Hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti

Two conjoined female twins were successfully separated after a seven-hour surgery. This was Haiti's first time performing such a sensitive surgery on conjoined twins.

Four medical teams performed the surgery: Hopital Bernard Mevs, PIH, Children's Hospital in LA and Mirebalais Hospital.

The medical team consisted of a plastic surgeon; general surgeons; a pediatrician; two anesthesiologists, and ICU specialists.

First Lady Sophia Martelly visited the hospital and happily held the newly separated infants.

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Haiti and the Dominican Republic are expected to become free from malaria by 2020 or exactly in 5 years.

A joint effort by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has made it their task to eradicate all indigenous cases of malaria in Hispaniola, the island that is shared by Haiti and Dominican Republic. The project aims to do this by 2020, and is funded to the tune of just under $30 million US from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. According to PAHO, in 2013, there were 20,000 confirmed cases of malaria on the island. Hispaniola is the only Caribbean island still battling malaria, which is endemic there.

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Here is a picture of the new St. François de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, five year after Haiti earthquake has destroyed it.

New St. Francois de Sales Hospital subsidized by Paying Patients

The new St. Francois de Sales Hospital, resurrected after the 2010 earthquake, has re-opened. It is now a teaching hospital with more beds and expanded services: pediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, and cancer treatment, as well as an electronic records system and ambulance service.

The $22.8 million facility was funded by the U.S. Catholic Health Association, Dominican Republic Sur Futuro Foundation, and Atlanta Catholic Community. The hospital will be subsidized by paying patients being cared for in a private wing.

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A new way to fight sexually transmitted diseases in Haiti such as HIV Aids. The introduction of newborn male circumcision.

One would think any procedure that had the promised potential to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS by up to 60 percent would be wholeheartedly adopted by the government of Haiti. First Lady Sophia Martelly did, and thanks to the efforts of the man who convinced her, an infectious diseases physician from UCLA, Jeffrey Klausner, some Haitian doctors have been trained in the practice that had been largely left behind in the country. With a team he trained to impart the knowledge of the procedure, Klausner spearheaded the setting up of a surgical facility in the capital aimed at offering contraceptive and protective solutions.

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Here is a picture that you might want to start getting familiar with if you are living in Haiti. Telemedicine or medecine via web cam has been introduced in Haiti that provides doctors at a Haiti hospital with access to around-the-clock medical support.

New Videoconferencing Program trains Haitian Doctors in Trauma and Intensive Care Treatment

The University of Miami (UM) Miller School of Medicine is helping trauma room doctors in Haiti treat patients, who are suffering from many types of critical injuries and conditions. UM has begun a telemedicine service that offers 24-hour medical support via instant video communication. The videoconferencing is a cost-effective method, needing only a laptop with a webcam. The service, which began in December of 2014, has UM trauma specialists interact with emergency room (EM) doctors, working in the trauma and critical section of Port-au-Prince's Bervard Mevs Hospital.

Haiti's healthcare infrastructure is underdeveloped, and only made worse by 2010's earthquake, which it has not yet recovered from. Haitian doctors don't receive sufficient training in trauma treatment, and supplies can be difficult to obtain.

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This is a picture of the new 200-bed St. Francis de Sales hospital in Port-au-Prince

Five years after the devastating earthquake that destroyed the St. Francis de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the hospital is set to re-open on January 15, 2015 with a new 200-bed modern hospital facility. The 100 year old archdiocesan hospital, was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake; it has been rebuilt with a generous $10.1 million funding support of Catholic Health Care Organizations in the United States. The hospital is owned and governed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake leveled 80% of the hospital building, including general inpatient and pediatric section. An estimated 70 people, including patients, staff and visitors were killed when the building collapsed. The Catholic Health Association joined hands with the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince to rebuild and organize fund for the construction of the new 125,000-square-foot hospital into a first-rate medical facility.

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