Post-Earthquake Health Response in Nippes and South Departments in Haiti

The project aims to improve the health response to the target populations in these departments. It is implemented in the health sector and in three sub-sectors: support to health facilities (HF), support to primary health care (PHC) service, and supply of pharmaceutical and medical items. The project is based on the hypothesis that individuals affected by the earthquake in Nippes and South departments will be able to receive emergency and routine care in a timely and responsive manner, and that the population in remote locations will be reached and referred when needed, and that health facilities (HC) will be given the necessary support to provide care services. The project is led by a consortium made up of DoTW USA, DoTW Argentina, which is directly responsible for the implementation in the South, and DoTW Canada, which is directly involved in the Nippes region. During the reporting period (October 2022 to March 2023), the project faced a very complex and tense socio-political situation added to security and humanitarian crises that have paralyzed the country since July 2022. This situation was aggravated in September when the Finix gang, led by Jimmy Cherizier, alias "Barbecue", blocked the Varreux terminal, severely restricting the functioning of basic services such as water distribution, health facilities, and telecommunications. Despite these challenges, all the planned activities are almost or already completed, except for the rehabilitation work, which encountered delays due to the country situation, delay in the conduct of evaluations by the engineering firms, and delay in the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) and Sanitary Departmental Direction (DSS) response. The health facilities (HF) evaluations are finished, and four of the six rehabilitations were approved by BHA in March 2023. The project has supported 87 healthcare workers in the 9 HF in the Nippes department and 20 healthcare workers in the 4 HF in the South department for 15 months until December 31, 2022. Due to the cholera outbreak, the Directorate of Health (DSS) has asked DoTW to continue supporting the HF with human resources. A total of 17 health workers are still supported, including 5 doctors, 6 nurses, 3 nursing assistants, and 2 medical technicians. This support allows the hospital to provide ongoing care to patients who come to the hospital. The project has also conducted joint visits in November 2022 to the HF to share the findings between DoTW and the departmental health directorates and to identify areas for improvement. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss the existing possibilities for solving these problems. The HF in the South and Nippes departments were provided with human resources, non-medical supplies, and equipment, allowing them to function and offer permanent health services to the vulnerable population. During the implementation period, 122,467 patients, including 71,060 women and girls and 51,407 men and boys, received consultations. The project has also supported the MSPP surveillance system for the earthquake emergency reporting, with a 90% rate of submitted reports on time. However, the originally planned HF rehabilitation activities have been delayed, and several centers, including Port Salut, Arnaud, Anse-à-Veau, and 4 Chemins HC, have not been rehabilitated yet. The project has also supported the rehabilitation of 7 HF, including Port Salut, Arnaud, Anse-à-Veau, and 4 Chemins HC, with a 14% completion rate. The project has also supported the MSPP surveillance system for the earthquake emergency reporting, with a 90% rate of submitted reports on time. The project has also supported the rehabilitation of 7 HF, including Port Salut, Arnaud, Anse-à-Veau, and 4 Chemins HC, with a 14% completion rate.