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MSF in HaitiLast updated: December 2008 In 2007, large security operations by the Haitian National Police and the UN peacekeeping forces (MINUSTAH) in Port-au-Prince resulted in a relative stabilization of the security situation, most remarkably in violent neighborhoods such as Cité Soleil in the capital city Port-au-Prince, where MSF could hand over its Choscal hospital to the local authorities in December 2007. However, heavily affected by years of insecurity, rampant unemployment, non-existent affordable health care, Haitians are still facing an extremely precarious environment. With the dramatic increase in cost-of-living in Haiti, caused mostly by external factors and affecting other countries worldwide, a series of protests broke out throughout the country, culminating in Port-au-Prince in early April 2008 and leading to a new leadership with Michèle Pierre-Louis as Prime minister. Following a tropical storm and two hurricanes that hit Haiti heavily end of August and beginning of September, MSF launched an emergency intervention in the town of Gonaïves, in the north of the Artibonites. Several explo missions assessed the post hurricane situation in the lower Artibonite and North West districts. Teams are also currently monitoring the nutrition situation in the North West part of the country. Projects
Overview of MSF ActivitiesMSF provides surgical care at its Trinité trauma center, and comprehensive physical rehabilitation and care for victims of sexual violence at its Pacot center, both in Port-au-Prince. During the April 2008 demonstrations against rapidly increasing food prices, MSF teams treated more than 44 gunshot-wounded patients in four days, an indicator of the instability of this Caribbean nation. Trinité Trauma CenterMSF provides surgical care at its Trinité trauma center in Port-au-Prince. Between January and Sept 2008 the team admitted 13,259 patients. As the security context continues on its path to relative stabilization, the number of admissions for gunshot wounds dropped from 1,300 in 2006 to 500 in 2007. However, the teams continue to treat about 45 gunshot wounds a month as an average. Yet victims of other types of violence, such as stab wounds, rape, beatings, have increased significantly. The overall number of patients admitted for violence related trauma were 2,847 in 2007 and 3.003 between January and Sept 2008 Since its opening in December 2004, MSF has treated 10,967 victims of violence, including nearly 3,545 people suffering gunshot wounds, approximately 3,000 who had been stabbed, 2,000 beaten, 1000 cases of rape and 880 victims of domestic violence. Pacot Rehabilitation Center and Center for the Treatment of Victims of Sexual ViolenceIn June 2007, MSF increased its capacity to treat victims of sexual violence in the capital, offering comprehensive psychological and medical treatment. The program has treated approximately 900 cases since it opened. The awareness campaigns in the shantytowns and city center continue, emphasizing that women need to receive treatment within 72 hours. MSF also operates a physical rehabilitation center where patients needing specialized post-operative treatment receive physiotherapy and psychological care. Jude Anne Emergency Obstetric HospitalSince March 2006 MSF also manages the Jude Anne emergency obstetric hospital in Port-au-Prince, and three mobile clinics in three slums, offering ante-natal, peri-natal and post-natal care. Emergency cesarean-sections, voluntary counseling testing (VCT), prevention and referral of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), counseling, sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) detection, as well as referring women with non-complicated deliveries to other hospitals, comprise the gamut of services offered. From March 2006 to October 2008 over 32,000 babies were born at this hospital. There are approximately 900-1500 deliveries per month (an average of 33 babies a day), of which 50% are complicated cases. The number of babies born usually reaches a high peak in the fall each year: 9 months after the Carnival festivals in February. For example, in October 2008, a record 156 women were in labour in just one day at the hospital. The medical team accomplishes an average of 250 surgical acts per month, of which 90 per cent are cesarean sections. The hospital also provides a newborn care unit, where an average of 90 babies per month are admitted to be stabilized before being transferred to the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. The program is also running 3 mobile clinics (Solino, La Saline and Cite Pelé Simon) that offer ante/post-natal care and which includesvoluntary-counseling treatment. Martissant Emergency Rooms and Mobile ClinicsSince December 2006, MSF works in the slum of Martissant, in Port-au-Prince, to assist a population that is heavily affected by the violence between different armed groups. The medical team has an emergency room where they stabilize the patients and refer those in need of surgery to other hospitals in the city. Mobile clinics give also access to first medical assistance in different locations of the slum. Since the beginning of the year MSF teams have received 25445 patients in its emergency rooms, of which traumas were 16942. In August 2007 MSF carried out two mortality surveys in the slums of Cité Soleil and in Martissant and the results confirmed violence as the first cause of mortality in the slums. In March 2007 MSF also restarted a vocational training project for nurses to become nurse anesthesiologists with the objective of creating qualified medical personnel, that is very scarce in the country. It is the only project of this type in the country and is recognized by the MoH. Emergency Intervention after HurricanesAt the end of September, MSF re-opened an 80-bed hospital in Gonaïves in cooperation with the Health and Population Ministry. This structure is the only one in the whole region which can respond to emergencies, obstetric and pediatric services. During the last three weeks, this structure has already received 675 patients in the emergency room and performed more than 110 deliveries, as well as 52 surgery interventions. MSF has also distributed hygiene kits for 5000 families (including plastic sheeting, soap, jerry cans) to cover the needs of as many people as possible who are left with nothing. Besides, Another 5000 kits are planned to be distributed. MSF is producing one million liters of drinkable water per day and still distributing the largest part of it. MSF mobile medical teams travel by car, horse back and foot around town and its surroundings to provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in their temporary shelters in Gonaïves or the nearby isolated villages. Since 12 September, our teams have performed more than 3500 consultations in their mobile clinics. MSF has worked in Haiti since 1991. |
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