Two years later, PIH's Dr. David Walton "gives snapshot of public health situation" in Haiti

The entrance to Mirebalais Hospital in early 2012.

On January 12, 2012, PIH’s Dr. David Walton updated listeners across the country on the construction of Mirebalais Hospital on NPR’s All Things Considered. Walton also discussed the country’s cholera epidemic and outlined his long-term hopes for Haiti’s health care system. 

Dr. Walton at the Mirebalais construction site in early 2011.

“Our hopes are actually quite ambitious,” said Dr. Walton. “With the construction of this hospital in the reconstruction phase of Haiti, we really hope to create a new paradigm for health care delivery in this country, particularly in the public sector where...[it] has been very difficult to find quality care and care that is reliable for the millions of people who can't afford private care.”

When a devastating earthquake struck Port-au-Prince two years ago, the capital city’s largest hospital was severely damaged and hundreds of doctors, nurses and support staff were either killed or injured. Haiti’s medical infrastructure was overwhelmed as 300,000 people injured in the quake – nearly a third of the city’s population – sought medical care. Because PIH/ZL’s network of 12 health facilities is located in rural Haiti, our staff of 4,000 was able to respond to the nation’s crisis within hours, partnering with the national government and other NGOs to offer help and create a long-term roadmap for reconstruction.

At the center of PIH/ZL’s response is Mirebalais National Teaching Hospital which, when its first wards open this summer, will be the largest teaching and referral hospital in Haiti, serving an estimated 500 patients a day, with 320 patient beds. The campus will employ 900 Haitians, boost the local economy, and educate the country’s next generation of clinicians, nurses and community health workers.

Listen here, or on All Things Considered’s website.