On The Record - Columbus School of Law

R E P O R T F R O M T H E F I E L DLacking Healthand WealthEighty percent of Haiti’s population lives below thepoverty line. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on theagricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming,which is increasingly at risk from the loss of agriculturalland to erosion caused by the country’s widespreaddeforestation.The area around Jérémie, however, abounds withlush tropical flora. Mango, banana, palm and lime treesare in abundance as are a profusion of tropical floweringplants. Still, the poverty of the area is evident. Most of thehouses we could see in the countryside were simple concreteblock structures topped with metal roofs, althoughmany houses were no more than thatched structures.There is no sanitary sewer system. It has been reportedthat nationally less than half of the population has accessto safe drinking water, and only 30 percent has access tosanitary sewer systems. Food preparation is frequentlydone on a small wood fire outside of the house.In our half of the globe, Haiti also ranks last in healthcare spending, about $83 annually per citizen. There areonly about 25 physicians and 11 nurses for every 100,000people. Only one in every four births is attended by askilled health professional. Most rural areas have noaccess to health care, making residents susceptible to otherwisetreatable diseases.During our short sojourn, we visited two privateorganizations that are making a difference in health carefor some Haitians. Hospice St. Joseph has been servingTwo-thirds of all Haitians depend on small-scale farming fortheir livelihoods. Arable land is disappearing from erosioncaused by the country’s widespread deforestation.the Christ Roi neighborhood of Port-au-Prince since1989. Its newest initiative, the Maternal and Child HealthClinic, will emphasize pediatric and OB/GYN servicesand provide health and nutrition education for localwomen. We delivered several hundred dollars worth ofchildren’s Tylenol, Ibuprofen and antibiotic cream purchasedwith funds donated by faculty, staff and students ofthe Columbus School of Law.The Haitian Health Foundation, founded in 1982with two volunteers performing simple dental extractions,has become one of the premier public health outreachagencies in the West Indies. It now provides fullserviceoutpatient/inpatient clinics and supports ruralclinics serving 104 mountain villages and more than200,000 people.The foundation faces a critical challenge: loweringmaternal mortality rates. Since the average Haitianhousehold is six persons, mostly children, the death ordisability of one mother has a direct and catastrophicimpact on the well-being of the family. The foundationreports that when a mother dies in childbirth, less than 10percent of the surviving infants live beyond their firstbirthday. The foundation’s Center of Hope is a primarycare clinic for prenatal and postnatal consultations andcare. It provides examinations, immunizations, nutritionalsupport and education for hundreds of women eachday. Services include regular newborn checkups for thefirst several years of life, food distribution, immunizations24CUALAWYER /Fall–Winter 2008