On the third anniversary of the earthquake, our field workers have shared their thoughts on the current situation in Haiti, on their blog: Three years on…
One area of success they stated, is the impact HHA has made on the maternity situation across North Haiti in the last few years. It was one of the long-term needs that the Haitian Government identified as requiring critical attention after the devastating earthquake, and it’s one we’re committed to tackling. Maternal health within Haiti, is just one example of a weakened health system, which was critically impacted post January 12th 2010.
Whilst our teams thoughts in the UK and Haiti reflect back on that tragic day three years ago, we’re also encouraged by the difference you’ve helped us make in Haiti since then.
For instance, last month our Maternity Unit supported 66 deliveries, the most in one month since we opened. The unit is truly making a significant impact, as the local communities trust in our services steadily increase month by month. All of our key maternity services saw significant growth rates last year. In April 2012 when we first opened the unit, we only carried out 3 deliveries, but in December we did 66, and we weren’t far off in November either (62). The trend points to a busy next year, as more and more women come month by month. In total the hospital provided 263 deliveries between April and December last year. Of these 36% (94 deliveries) were C-Sections, and 64% (169 deliveries) natural deliveries.
However, we’re not just offering deliveries. We also carried out 629 ultra sound exams, provided over 670 prenatal consultations (not including our community outreach team), and supported many other obstetrical and gynecological needs and emergencies. We’ve also recognised that the unit is attracting patients from many different communities across the North, which is also hugely encouraging!
For all of you who supported our Christmas appeal to keep the Maternity and Paediatric Unit’s going, thank you for your kind support. Despite there being more negative news questioning the aid response in Haiti on this third anniversary, our services continue to help more and more people. What is true though in many of the reports, is that the needs in Haiti do currently far outweigh the resources available. Please continue to help us tackle the monthly growth of the Maternity Unit in 2013, as the growing need is certainly outweighing our current capacity.
Please support our Maternity work, and DONATE TODAY or contact us if you’d like to be more regularly involved.