[Picture: Midwives for Haiti graduate Flaure Alcius presents the Lamp’s women’s health program; Dr Hyppolite in foreground]
By In-Country Medical Director Barrère Hyppolite MD
The recent Midwives for Haiti conference was a great opportunity to build relationships with other NGOs, and especially Midwives for Haiti, who work in this field of maternity care. It has given us opportunity to know each other and possibly to create a network in the future. With its in-depth midwife training program Midwives for Haiti is working hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and other partners to have a greater impact on maternal and infant health in Haiti, which has the highest rates of child and maternal mortality in the Caribbean. Also, to allow every woman in this land to be assisted in their pregnancy and assure them a good outcome. It’s a huge task: to gain the confidence of the pregnant patients and convince them to be followed by a qualified person in the field for the happiness of the mother and also for the baby. This is especially important in remote areas, where a hospital may be many hours away.
We believe also, at LAMP, that we have a great mission to fulfill in the field of the maternity care. In the area where we work, in Cité Soleil, there is a lot of work to do: the education of the pregnant patients, the medical care throughout pregnancy, the response to complications and concurrent illnesses. We also believe that we must build up strong relationships with people of the area through the action of community health workers. A community health worker program is our plan for the future.
It is very satisfying to contribute to the decrease of child and maternal morbidity through prevention and treatment, and keep the smile on the face of each mother who wants to give birth; to give, too, a great push to the index of development of our country Haiti.
