NEW OBTETRICS EMERGENCY CENTER TO REDUCE MATERNAL AND INFANT MORTALITY
(Defend Haiti) - By John Smith Sanon
PORT-AU-PRINCE - The Minister of Health, Alex Larsen and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were present at the official opening of the free care, 24 hour, References Center in Obstetric Emergencies (CRUO) at Delmas 33 in Port-au-Prince.
This hospital specializes in the management of obstetric emergencies and is an increase in the number of MSF hospitals that provide free care every day and 24 hours to the people. The opening ceremony hosted by Dr. Hans Hebert Boucher, Medical Director of this new center, was attended by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Alex Larsen, the MLA-Delmas Tabarre, Mr. Arnel Belizaire and a representative of the mayor of the town of Delmas.
The Reference Center Obstetric Emergencies was developed by the MSF team in order to meet the maternal and infant mortality. More women with high risk pregnancies, will be able to deliver safely, according to the words of Sylvain Groulx, head of mission of MSF-OCA in Haiti.
1726 women, including 380 during the current month, have given birth in the new structure whose activities have started since March 8, 2011, coinciding with International Women's Day according to the Head of Mission.
"The quality we offer to our patients, it is not due to the building we are inaugurating today, but rather the dedication of our Haitian colleagues and all staff who serve the population, "he said, praising the quality of services offered in this new structure.
This project began in 2005 but has not yet been realized until now because of various problems encountered along the way, including the January 12 earthquake.
"A project which aims at fighting against maternal mortality in Haiti or more precisely in the department of the West, in a country with the maternal mortality rate the highest in the northern hemisphere," said Dr. Boucher. "Women in Haiti must not die of child birth," he said.
The representative of the mayor of Delmas, Philippe Albert expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the authorities of the country and the benefit of MSF to the Haitian people. Their presence in Haiti is extremely important, he said; congratulating the team of the organization on behalf of the people of Delmas, for this great initiative.
For the Member of Parliament Delmas-Tabarre, Arnel Belizaire who disagreed with MSF because of previous problems with the way they operate stated " we are obliged to accept in our community, as if they were really an integral part.
"The neglect of our fellow Haitian doctors forces us to put MSF at the forefront in the riding-Delmas Tabarre," he said, arguing that this is not what we should hope for. According to him, we have to use them because of their usefulness in the community. He advocated the restructuring of the L'Hopital La Paix, that will work in partnership with MSF.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Alex Larsen expressed his disappointment at the situation of Hopital La Paix, which is facing enormous lack of structures, despite the best efforts of his department, and has recently hired new doctors and nurses.
"Despite the renewal of the staff, the hospital still operates as a health center superbly marked by acute absenteeism of staff and Haitian doctors who refuse to fulfill their duty to the people of Delmas," he said, surprised at the benevolent treatment by foreigners as opposed to Haitian doctors who "are not yet able to think to give their peers the care they deserve." Dr. Larsen thanked the organization for their assistance provided in the cholera epidemic; "effective assistance", he said, hoping that this center is a complement to that of Hopital La Paix and not replaced.
No comments:
Post a Comment