CMB Hospital: Saving Lives in Rural Haiti

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Baradina Garcon:

Saving Lives in Rural Haiti CMB Hospital

The Background

Haiti is an island located in the carribean. It west of the Dominican Republic and is south of the island of Cuba. It is about the size of Maryland and is home to an estimated 11 million people. About 3.5 million of those people live in the Capital city of Port-au-Prince, which means the remaining 7-8 million are spread out throughout the countryside of Haiti. Most people come into PAP to find jobs and attend school. PAP is also the hub for access to what little healthcare is available. There are few government hospitals, essentially no health insurance, and making access to formal healthcare next to impossible for over half of the country. In fact, it is estimated that only 8% of people living in rural areas having access to healthcare, Making residents susceptible to otherwise treatable diseases.

It is also important to note that health concerns and even life threatening conditions are often pushed aside in an effort to feed the family, or even send a child to school. Many times a parent will neglect their own needs to provide for their childs. This makes locally led initiatives especially vital as they have the ability to know what is going on daily within their community and offer culturally appropriate solutions.

When it comes to maternal health Haiti remains the hightest maternal mortality rate in the Western hemisphere with an estimated 521 deaths for every 100,000 live births. In addition to this sobering statistic, approximately one in every 80 women in Haiti will die from childbirth and pregnancy related causes. I myself have been the unfortunate witness of this reality losing numerous friends during my 8 years in Haiti.

But despite these sobering statistics, it is important to note the human beings are behind these numbers. It can be easy to think of people in black and white, rich and poor, privilaged and oppressed. But it takes a special place inside each of us to push past these areas of complacency and practice empathy. To truly take time to understand that millions of people still die each year from preventable diseases.

We believe people have the right to live regardless of their economic status. We also believe the best way to save lives is through localized healthcare that takes into consideration the realities and experiences of the population being served and pairs it with innovative, community-based solutions that offer both long-term and life-changing resolutions.

And because we believe you do not have to reinvent the wheel is an effort to accomplish your goals, we have teamed up with like-minded organizations allowing for an extended reach to the population being served, and it is an effective way to minimize overheads ensuring funds get where they need to be to make the most impact. This is why we have chosen to partner with CMB in La Pointe Haiti.

CMB was founded in the 1940’s and now serves a population of 700,000+. Facilities like CMB are vital when only 8% of the the rural population has access to quality healthcare facilities. With a life expectancy of 63 years old, and less than half of Haitian children getting basic immunizations, places like CMB are literally lifesaving. CMB treats an average of 200 patients per day and offers care in the following areas: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics-Gynecology, and Pediatrics. There are also numerous public health and prevention programs for community advancement.

In this episode we speak to a world changing leader in the fight for equal access to healthcare, here name is Baradina.