NY Times editorial calls for quicker progress in Haiti

Today, The New York Times published a strong editorial calling for quicker progress on recovery efforts in Haiti. The op-ed specifically focuses on the work of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, and the need for greater effort to strengthen the Haitian government.

Citing Partners In Health co-founder Paul Farmer’s Congressional testimony in July, The Times notes that only 3 percent of earthquake aid had gone to the Haitian government. It goes on to note PIH’s efforts to build a state-of-the-art teaching hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti, as an example of how aid can be used to buttress the devastated government:

“The hospital is a project of Partners in Health, an exemplary nongovernmental organization whose founder, Paul Farmer, has spoken forcefully about the need to break bad old habits of international aid, which in half a century has never reached the goal of creating a functioning country run by Haitians for Haitians…

Rebuilding Haiti requires building a functioning, responsive Haitian state. A hospital that teaches a new generation of Haitian doctors and nurses, meeting an aching need for medical care while spurring the home-grown economy, is a fine example of how to do that."

To read the full editorial visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/opinion/30mon2.html

For more information on PIH’s efforts to support Mirebalais Hospital, visit:
http://www.pih.org/news/entry/pih-breaks-ground-on-world-class-teaching-hospital-in-mirebalais-haiti/