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Health in Haiti

           Health in Haiti is characterized by the weakness of its national system. Health statistics are much lower than the majority of low income countries. This weakness is aggravated by political instability, insecurity, climatic hazards such as cyclones and earthquakes. That of 2010 destroyed nearly 60% of the country's health structures.

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          Health problems are a major challenge, consisting mainly of infectious and parasitic diseases and chronic diseases. Major epidemics are regular: malaria, HIV, dengue, cholera, chikungunya, Zika, covid 19 ...

The food insecurity becomes very serious, leaves the majority of the population in a state of weakness which promotes all kinds of diseases.

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                Health is characterized, according to MSPP reports, by:

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  • A lack of health coverage, only 30% of the population has access to it.

  • Public establishments represent only 38% of health establishments

  • Health personnel represent 6.3 per 10,000 inhabitants

  • The national health budget has been around 5% in recent years, less than a third of international recommendations.

  • Health workers are on strike most of the time (late payment of wages that are too low and working conditions appalling)

  • Public health centers and hospitals do not have inputs (patients have to buy even gloves or compresses)

  • Many scholarship holders (Mexico / Cuba) are not integrated into the health system at the end of their studies.

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              This very precarious situation is reinforced by a lack of drinking water (40% of the population do not have access to drinking water, 70% do not have access to an improved sanitation system). Global warming is accelerating this problem of access to water.

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              More than 60% of the Haitian population has less than two us dollars / day which prevents them from having easy access to drinking water and primary health care. A few rare services are available such as vaccination campaigns, children and pregnant women, preventive health, HIV care. School health is almost non-existent.

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             Access to care is at several levels. Only 30% of the population has access to basic care in health centers or emergency departments in public hospitals, where waits are long and care is charged. In the private sector, reserved for a certain class, the costs are significant (between 20 to 35 us dollars for consultations), the prescriptions of examinations and often important drugs and a system of repeated consultations, always paying. The fees are very high, without a social security system. Insurance in the public and private sectors is often ineffective. Private insurance is unaffordable for the vast majority. In short, it is better not to be sick in Haiti.

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               The management of Covid 19, which officially entered Haiti on March 19, 2020, remains unclear and not transparent. Schools, churches, factories, ports and airports were immediately closed. The authorities have declared a state of health emergency with a curfew and warned the population of many victims in the coming weeks if the barrier gestures are not carried out. The population, in a large majority did not believe in this epidemic and government discourse and did not apply these measures, despite the staggering promiscuity. The hospitals, already lacking in materials, were not at all prepared and only a few private hospitals were able to take care of the sick. The population resorted mainly to natural medicine.

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           Fortunately, the disease has remained very discreet, the services were again opened in August and there were, as of October 1, 2020, 8,766 cases with 229 deaths.

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