Training

Below is a National Public Radio piece by Jason Beaubien on the status of the  Mirebalais National Teaching Hospital, which will be Haiti’s largest health care facility.  The hospital is a priority for the Ministry of Health, which will be running the facility jointly with Partners in Health.  Eventually, the Ministry of Health will manage the facility itself.  When operational, the hospital will be mainly powered by solar energy.  Internet connectivity opens the door to new training opportunities.  In a recovery where much has gone wrong, the hospital is a symbol of what has gone right, and could be a model for replication in Haiti and elsewhere.   

On Wednesday, January 12th, the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, the National Disaster Life Support Foundation Inc. and Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness will host a free webinar on the current status of public health and health care in Haiti, including the ongoing cholera response.  More information follows.  You can register for the event by clicking here. 

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the opening of an apparel training center in Port au Prince.  The intent is to help Haiti take advantage of expanded trade preferences under the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act that passed the Senate in May 2010.  My main concern is that foreign investment, while sorely needed, will primarily occur in Port au Prince.  Building a better Haiti depends in large part on building a decentralized Haiti where agriculture is viable and profitable.  Rural development has been all too often neglected in Haiti, but is critical for the future.