The Healthcare System in Haiti (Research Paper Sample)

The Healthcare System in Haiti Name Institution Introduction: Haiti This paper examines the issues surrounding Haiti’s healthcare system. The choice of the country is influenced by the fact that the country has been in the headlines in the recent past for undesirable reasons such as poverty, earthquakes, landslides, and floods. Therefore, it will be interesting to find out how these calamities have impacted the healthcare system of the country. Location/Geography Haiti is located on the Hispaniola Island and covers an area of 27,750 square kilometers (World Atlas). In the Caribbean, the country is the third largest after the Dominican Republic and Cuba. The former shares the borders with Haiti on the Hispaniola Island. As shown in the map below, the country is located on the west of the Dominican Republic. 
Population According to statistics by the World Bank (2016), the population of the country has been growing steadily and by 2015, it stood at 10.71 million. The growth of the population was slightly affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the country in January 2010. The earthquake caused a massive displacement of people. As per World Bank (2016) figures, 1.5 million people were internally displaced. The country has, however, seen a gradual recovery and as per now, more than 1.4 million of the 1.5 million displaced have relocated from camps. According to CNN (2016), the country has three ethnic groups; black making 95% of the population while the remaining 5% is made of Mulato and White people. Regarding religion, the population is made up of 54.7% Roman Catholics, 28.5% Protestants, 2.1% Voodoos, 10.2% non-religious, and 4.6% of other small religions. Government Haiti is a semi-presidential republic and is characterized by a multiparty system. The president is elected by voters from the population. In the country, the Prime Minister leads the government and is appointed by the president. The country’s government has three branches; the judicial, the executive, and the legislative branches. Economy According to the World Bank (2016), the country’s GDP stood at $8.877 billion in 2015 while the inflation rate was at 9.0% in the same year. The country’s GDP growth has been dismal, growing at 1.7% in 2015 (World Bank, 2016). As a result, the country’s poverty has been left appalling. This has led to emigration as citizens seek better lives. Personal aggrandizement at the expense of the common citizen has been the country’s main cause of economic degeneration. The State of Health The state of health in Haiti is depressing and is characterized by deficient sanitation, inadequate health services, and poor nutrition. The 2010 7.0 magnitude earthquake further destroyed the healthcare facilities present in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. After the earthquake, the country has been relying on support from NGO’s to provide medical care and other basic needs. With the majority of its population living below the poverty line, the country is characterized by high incidences of malnutrition and low immunization levels. Given that there is low spending on healthcare, the state of health in the country is worrying, and is mainly supported by NGO’s. Culture/Traditional Medicine As mentioned earlier above, one of the religions in the country is Voodoo. The priests of the religion are practitioners, and hence a section of the population seeks their services when they want to be relieved of illnesses. According to Colin (2010), when Haitians fall sick, they try a home remedy first. In addition, since they take health as a personal responsibility, patients can tell the clinician the illness they are suffering from rather than the symptoms. The citizens of the country also have a fatalistic belief that illnesses are ‘wills of God’. As such, when they are sick, they often think that death is the ultimate result (Colin, 2010).Therefore, the concept of health in the country is often surrounded by beliefs in God’s Power. Healthcare System and Delivery Governmental health-related agencies and health regulatory organizations. The Public Health and Population Ministry is responsible for the health of Haitians and forms part of Cabinet. After the earthquake that led to the collapse of almost all systems in the country, the most notable Haitian heath-related agency is the Ministry of Public Health and Population. There is also the Department of Training and Development for Health Sciences (DFPSS) that has partnered with USAID to accredit nursing schools in the nation. The country is still in reconstruction and the future is likely to be characterized with more state health-related agencies. For now, the country’s health system continues to rely on NGOs. Healthcare personnel and hospitals. There is scanty information on the numbers of physicians currently in Haiti. According to an NGO, REACHH, the country has one doctor per 4,000 people. This translates to 25 doctors per 100,000 people. REACHH (2016) reports that in some areas of the country such as Chabin, the ratio of physicians to people is as low as 0.2 to 10,000. This further underpins how miserable the health care condition of the country is. Nursing education system and accrediting organizations. According to Garfield (2012), organized nursing in the country lacks the required planning and management skills. The author continues to note that the public schools in the country prepare graduates in 3-year diploma courses. The programs in the country meant to equip nurses with necessary skills have not upgraded their curriculum in years. In addition, there is little emphasis on patient education, public health management program, and primary care. USAID (n.d) informs that private nursing education in the nation has been on the rise. According to USAID (n.d), there exists over 400 private nursing training institutions in the country; however, there is little information regarding the education level offered in them. This lack of information has made it hard for students aspiring to be nurses to select which of the hundreds of training institutions to attend. With the government and the USAID being in the process of accrediting these institutions, there is hope for the nursing education system in the country. The accreditation process is overseen by the nation’s Department of Training and Development for Health Sciences (DFPSS) in collaboration with USAID’s HFG Project. Nursing associations. A major nursing organization in Haiti is the Haiti Nursing Foundation that primarily exists to promote the advancement of nursing in the country. The organization has its main focus on FSIL Nursing School that has continued to promote nursing education in the country. According to the organization’s website, FSIL has managed to graduate more than 115 nurses, a majority of who live and work in the country (Haiti Nursing Foundation, n.d). It is important to note that the country’s nursing education system previously did not have four-year degree courses. FSIL became the first 4-year baccalaureate nursing school in the country. The Haiti Nursing Foundation depends on donor funds to promote its activities in the country. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has also been on the forefront in the reconstruction of Haiti after the earthquake. A major contribution is towards the ANILH nursing institution that lost 200 students and faculty members during the earthquake. The ICN was able to establish a fund to help nurses and nursing in general in the country (ICN, n.d). Another nursing association that has played a role in boosting the heath situation in Haiti is the Partners in Health (PIH). PIH has continued to deploy nurses not only in the country but also in other nations undergoing health crises. The organization aims to offer best nursing care practices and also to strengthen the nursing education around the world. In Haiti, PIH have nurse educators that focus on mental health, pediatrics, surgery, and maternal health (PIH, n.d). In this regard, the organization has been able to expand its workforce and consequently serve patients better. Health Priorities From the above discussion, it is notable that the healthcare in Haiti still requires the help of international community. Therefore healthcare priorities for the country include setting up of government structures to support heath, updating the nursing curriculum, construction of more hospitals, and public awa...