Issues
Health
Stronger Health Systems
The U.S. Government is working to help prevent and treat disease in Haiti by providing sustainable health care solutions to help Haitians build a system that will improve their quality of life and lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable development.
Pre-Earthquake Healthcare in Haiti: Grim Statistics
Almost 1 in four children under 5 were chronically malnourished;
- An estimated 40 percent of the population had no access to basic health services;
- Haiti had the highest rates of child mortality in the Americas, the highest rate of tuberculosis in the Western Hemisphere, and HIV/AIDS prevalence was at a 2.2 percent infection rate.
The earthquake exacerbated a difficult situation, and presented the Government of Haiti, the U.S. Government, and the international community with new health challenges to overcome.
Post-Earthquake Response
The US Government (USG) worked quickly to respond to needs arising due to earthquake and ensure the ongoing provision of basic healthcare services. In 2011, the USG continued these efforts and worked to support longer-term development of the health care system.
- In 2011, the USG continued to support 251 sites that provide primary care and 52 that provide secondary care nationwide, to nearly 50 percent of the population. USG partners provided a range of services through these sites, including family planning, HIV, and immunization. While the cholera epidemic caused some people to stay away from health centers for issues they perceived to be less urgent, 169,493 women were tested for HIV―an all-time high, as antenatal clinics were able to maintain regular operations.
- As of October 2011, USG provided expertise and more than $75 million to the Haitian-led, international campaign to prevent and treat cholera. These efforts have mitigated the impact of the outbreak across Haiti, and brought the case mortality rate below the international standard of 1 percent.
- Following the earthquake, USAID funded St Boniface Spinal Cord Injury Center to help 24 spinal cord injury patients. Twelve of these individuals remain at the hospital, while the other twelve have been successfully discharged back into their communities where their families have been trained to care for them.
Together with the international community, the U.S. Government continues to work with the Government of Haiti to improve health and sanitation, prevent the spread of disease, and improve the quality of life for Haitians.