A Program To Improve Obstetric Care in Southern Haiti

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Overview

In Haiti, women die during pregnancy and childbirth more than any other country in the Western Hemisphere. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate was 480 per 100,000 live births.  Access to maternal and child health services and  emergency obstetric care for complications during labor and delivery is limited by poor roads, distance from health facilities, and  challenging infrastructure issues. 

Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital (HEI/SBH) is an international organization based in Boston and Southern Haiti. Their main hospital in Fond des Blancs plays a major role in providing maternal and neonatal healthcare in the region. HEI/SBH has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and is fully equipped to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC) 24/7.

Context

HEI/SBH serves the southern region of Haiti, an area which also hosts seven other health facilities. The reputation and quality of services at HEI/SBH has led to the hospital being overwhelmed by people seeking obstetric care. Many individuals in Southern Haiti travel directly to HEI/SBH and bypass other healthcare facilities that may be located closer to them.

Challenge

How can the provision of quality emergency obstetric care be evenly distributed across all eight health facilities in Southern Haiti?

Solution

Our program takes a multi-pronged approach that will increase the capacity of the seven outlying hospitals to provide basic, quality obstetric care and promote collaboration among all eight health facilities. The three core elements of this program are as follows:

• Establishing a regional health care consortium between all eight facilities
• Providing BEmONC equipment and training at each outlying facility
• Improving infrastructure and sanitation at each outlying facility

Results

Each portion of our program will work in tandem to strengthen the provision and quality of obstetric services delivered across eight facilities in Southern Haiti. The proposed regional consortium will  promote communication and resource sharing  as well as  create standards of care and training procedures that can be implemented across the region.

Project Timeline

This project took four months to complete from kick-off meeting to presentation of final deliverables. Click the button below for a detailed timeline.

View Project Timeline