World Health Day 2024 – Haiti

When we read stories in the New Testament, we find many instances of Jesus healing people with broken bodies. It’s a powerful reminder that God cares about our struggles in the here-and-now, and that there is healing to be found on this side of resurrection. In our lives today, we probably don’t see as many miracles like those that we read about in scripture–but we are able to witness the remarkable gift of medicine transform lives in so many different ways. If you ask anybody who has been involved with Peredo Community Hospital, you would likely hear a dozen stories of God working through our healthcare supply chains, tools, systems, and especially the staff that we are blessed to work with.

This last Sunday was World Health Day, and markers like these give us a chance to reflect on what HCO is doing through our own healthcare system. You can read about our hospital in our Impact Report, but here’s a quick overview of the work that our staff members have been doing:

• 1,556 patient consultations
• 62 births
• 87 surgeries
• 224 dental consultations

These are numbers to celebrate–but they’re also a reminder of how difficult the situation is in Haiti right now. For some perspective: in 2021, we saw more than 6,000 consultations. 

In 2024, we are low on supplies, we are low on staff, and we are low on patients. The supply chain is entirely broken. Increasingly, daily life is deadly because of arms trafficking and gang control, and travel is more of a risk than ever. Many of the folks who know how to do the skilled labor that is needed to run a hospital have understandably sought work and shelter in other countries.

Haitians struggle to get the care they need even in more stable times. It is an unfortunate fact of modern life that consistent and affordable access to healthcare is not guaranteed for many people around the globe. While it’s not a perfect resource, something like the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) is a good way to get an overview of the healthcare situation in a given country. Haiti ranks 130 out of the 195 countries in the GHSI. No doubt the current crisis has made things even more dire.

A day like World Health Day is a sobering reminder that there is glaring inequality when it comes to healthcare access in our world. Per William O’Neill, an American lawyer and the UN expert on human rights in Haiti: “I’m amazed that you can’t get food or medicine into Haiti, but you still get guns and bullets coming in…” 
We ask you to join us in prayer for our Haitian brothers and sisters. We ask God to move and change the hearts and minds of those people who are in positions of power. If you’d like to do something tangible, consider giving a recurring donation to help our hospital. We thank you for your prayers and your partnership.