by: Carolyn Cole
One year after the 12 January earthquake struck Haiti, PAHO/WHO continues to support the response through initiatives aimed at rebuilding a devastated health system and improving the health of the Haitian population.
The human impact of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake had an unimaginable impact in a country marked by a high incidence of poverty. Prior to the earthquake, around 67% of the population was living on less than US$ 2 a day. An estimated 220,000 people lost their lives and over 300,000 were injured. Roughly 2.8 million people were affected and nearly 1.5 million found themselves without a home. A year later, one million people remain in temporary settlement sites throughout Port-au-Prince and other affected areas.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, a complex humanitarian response was launched to save lives and assist the affected population. Four days after the disaster, PAHO/WHO began holding daily coordinating meetings as Health Cluster lead. Hundreds of NGOs and bi-lateral agencies offered support to the Government of Haiti – pouring human and material resources into the country. Ensuring the intentions of partners were appropriately aligned with the priorities of Haiti's Ministry of Health and Population (MSPP) was a key function of the Health Cluster in the initial weeks following the earthquake. The Cluster was the sole mechanism by which priorities could be outlined with MSPP and synchronized among implementing partners.
In the months that followed the earthquake, far reaching interventions saved lives and reduced the health consequences of the disaster. Key accomplishments include:
• Rapid establishment of 17 field hospitals in the most devastated areas which provided emergency medical care to thousands of patients
• Uninterrupted management of the cold chain • Distribution of 345,000 boxes of emergency medical supplies between January and March through PROMESS, the medical warehouse managed by PAHO/WHO
• Coordination by the PAHO/WHO Health Cluster of over 400 health partners in the four months following the earthquake
• Implementation of the first phase of the PAHO/ WHO, UNICEF and MSPP's post-disaster vaccination program, resulting in the delivery of over 900,000 vaccine doses to the most vulnerable children and adults
• Establishment of three distinct disease surveillance systems to track illness, share information, and alert personnel to emergency situations
• Comprehensive mapping of all health facilities in Haiti, providing the foundation for a referral system
• Coordination of the response to the cholera outbreak, and support to CTCs (Cholera Treatment Centers) and CTUs (Cholera Treatment Units)
• Provision of essential medicines and medical equipment for the treatment of cholera patients
• Organization and management of teams to investigate and control cholera outbreaks in all 10 Departments
Relief and early recovery actions have been complicated by severe weather, a cholera epidemic, and civil unrest. As efforts continue in 2011, PAHO/WHO remains committed to ensuring greater access to health care for the Haitian population and building a decentralized system for health service delivery.
