Hermeline Charles, director of nursing at Bellevue La Montagne Hospital (HBLM) for three years, testifies to the challenges and progress made in vaccination in Haiti.
Located about thirty kilometers from downtown Pétion-Ville, Bellevue La Montagne Hospital serves around ten communities in a municipal section lacking basic services and infrastructure. Since its establishment in the locality of Loiseau in 2019, the hospital has launched a vaccination campaign for children and pregnant women, compensating for the absence of a vaccination center in the area.
Hospitals can no longer rely on Haiti’s State Electricity to power their energy needs. To ensure the conservation of vaccines and maintain the cold chain, Bellevue La Montagne Hospital has developed its own solar energy Source. The Eliazar Germain Hospital, for its part, uses solar refrigerators to store its vaccines.
“Before, the municipal section did not have any vaccination center. We recruited health workers to inform residents that the hospital has a vaccination center. We also spoke to parents and pregnant women about the need to be vaccinated,” she explains.
Every month, Bellevue la Montagne Hospital requisitions around a hundred vaccines subsidized by the Ministry of Public Health from its municipal office in Pétion-ville. The reaction of the population is very positive. Demand often exceeds supply, and some vaccines, such as those against rotavirus and oral polio, are sometimes unavailable due to the socio-political crisis affecting the country.
Despite these difficulties, the hospital maintains its vaccination program, vaccinating every last Saturday of the month.
A shared commitment to vaccination
A similar observation is made at the Eliazar Germain Hospital, located in the center of Pétion-Ville. Sheilla Monfort Dessaint, responsible for vaccination, confirms the recurring stock shortages of certain vaccines due to the crisis. “But, if we don’t have a vaccine, it’s because you won’t find it anywhere in the town,” declared Ms. Dssaisnt to demonstrate her desire to always vaccinate the population.
The hospital vaccinates children and women of childbearing age five days a week, Monday through Friday. The vaccination team mobilizes even in the most critical situations of violence. “We go there as soon as we can,” says the manager.
The other side of the crisis
Between February and May, gang violence plunged Haiti into a serious fuel crisis. Access to the Port-au-Prince oil terminal has been blocked by armed rebels, and according to the UN, gangs currently occupy 80% of the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Faced with these challenges, hospitals can no longer rely on the State Electricity of Haiti (EDH) to supply their energy needs. To ensure the conservation of vaccines and maintain the cold chain, Bellevue La Montagne Hospital has developed its own solar energy Source. The Eliazar Germain Hospital, for its part, uses solar refrigerators to store its vaccines.
Despite their commitment and innovative solutions, officials at both hospitals express concern about the difficulty in reaching more people for vaccination. Their respective vaccination centers lack health mobilizers, key players in raising awareness of the importance of vaccination and encouraging participation in vaccination programs.
An upgrade…
Despite the obstacles linked to the socio-political crisis, Haiti is recording encouraging progress in the vaccination of children and pregnant women. This improvement results from active collaboration between hospitals, health centers, government and international organizations.
In September 2023, a vaccination campaign carried out jointly by the Ministry of Public Health, PAHO/WHO and other partners identified more than 5,461 children aged 0 to 23 months and 1,280 unvaccinated pregnant women. or incompletely vaccinated in the municipalities of Carrefour, Cité-Soleil, Pétion-ville and Port-au-Prince. Thanks to this initiative, 839 children and 254 pregnant women were able to receive the necessary vaccines until December 2023. 72 health mobilizers were deployed as part of the campaign.
UNICEF observed a 10% increase in routine immunization coverage between 2022 and 2023. This increase is attributed to a combination of strategies, including the RED (Reach Every District) approach, effective chain management supply and increased awareness campaigns, according to UNICEF. The UN body salutes the “remarkable resilience” of Haiti in its commitment to protecting the health of children.
LIn a report published in August 2023, the Ministry of Public Health states that its objective is to ensure vaccination coverage of 95% and for all vaccines. In this sense, a strategy to strengthen routine vaccination has been put in place for the benefit of children under one year of age and pregnant women. Preliminary results are promising, with at least 75% of children under one year having received BCG and measles/rubella vaccine in some regions. In certain departments, these rates even exceed 100%, again according to the ministry.
