A Piece of History in Haiti

Updated on May 11, 2023
by Haitian Christian Outreach

This year marks ten years since the health clinic opened in Peredo. That same health clinic has today grown into the Peredo Community Hospital serving hundreds of communities in the Southeast region of Haiti, within a population of nearly 1 million Haitians.

RoRo tells the story of walking through the village of Peredo in the early 2000’s and hearing a child crying. He knocked on the door of the home he heard the crying from. After there was no answer he opened the door to find a child lying on cardboard with severe burns to her legs. Burns so severe that bone could be seen. The little girl had fallen into a cooking fire and had burned her legs. Her parents took her to a nearby witchdoctor for healing and the witchdoctor told them to pour battery acid on her burns. When RoRo found the suffering girl he immediately picked her up and took her to a health clinic he was familiar with but he knew she needed special treatment. RoRo organized care for the little girl in Port-au-Prince at a hospital that was equipped to take care of her wounds so she would not have to have her legs amputated. After this event, RoRo knew the area of Peredo needed a hospital of its own to serve the community with quality and compassionate health care.

Today the Peredo Community Hospital offers medical care in the areas of General Practice, Pediatrics, Emergency Medical Services, OB/GYN, Labor & Delivery, Urology, Orthopedics, Laboratory Services, Surgery, Pharmacy, Radiology, and Dental Care. More than forty nurses, doctors, and administrative staff serve at PCH. These medical professionals deliver babies, conduct patient consultations, perform surgeries, and provide clarity for patients.

In 2014, construction began on Phase II of the hospital which would add a surgical center complete with pre op rooms, surgical rooms, post op rooms, and space to store surgical supplies and equipment. Phase II also included housing for doctors and other hospital staff.

In 2016, four years after its opening, PCH saw over 3,600 patients. By 2017, that number had grown to around 5,000 patients and continues to grow with more than 10,000 patients seen in 2020. Anemia, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and hypertension are some of the most common diagnosed illnesses the doctors and nurses treat.

In 2017, 24/7 birthing services were added including an OB doctor, nurses, and midwife staff. PCH has seen a rise in births due to the routine prenatal care being provided to women in the Peredo community as well as surrounding communities. In 2018, close to 50 babies were born at PCH. By 2020, more than 400 babies were born at the hospital.

In 2018, construction continued on Phase II of PCH to prepare the Surgical Center for full use while the medical staff continued providing excellent care. In April of 2019, the first surgical suite was completed and doctors performed the first surgeries contributing to a total of 211 surgeries in 2019.

In 2020, construction began on Phase III of PCH to expand the Surgery Center and add a second floor. The second story of the surgical wing will consist of a 22-bed post op care facility. For patients who have just had extensive surgery or require more long term 24-hour care, this second story facility will provide for their needs. Phase III also includes conference rooms and housing for medical professional guests. By the end of 2021 the roof of this second story addition had been completed and solar panels installed to provide solar power to the entire hospital.

What began as a small clinic in 2012 has truly grown to be an incredible blessing in the SE region of Haiti. Thousands of families now have access to quality health care. Hundreds of men, women, and children have found healing. And everyone who comes to Peredo Community Hospital hears about the ultimate Healer. Many have given their lives to Christ because of the care they received at PCH. We thank God He has provided the staff, supplies, equipment, and facilities of PCH as a way to use health care to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our community.