Thank you.
It's a privilege to share the perspective of Partners In Health amidst the current crisis. I'd like to thank the committee for the attention you've been giving to Haiti.
Partners In Health was founded in Haiti in the mid-1980s. It's where so much of our organizational expertise and values come from, so we're very appreciative of this opportunity.
Haiti, as we know, is the world's first independent Black republic and the first to overthrow colonial rule, setting the path for independence movements worldwide. It's a legacy that created a better world for all of us, and it's one that we should never forget. We should not forget, either, that Haiti was made to pay a devastating price for its freedom through reparations to its colonizers and geopolitical sanctions, with impacts continuing to this day.
Canada has been part of that history. For far too long, Canada and other countries have taken it upon themselves to decide what happens in Haiti, when it is, of course, Haitians who should decide and it is their voices we should be listening to. It is crucial that we are discerning about which Haitian voices we seek out. Is it the voices of the powerful minority or of the vulnerable majority?
I say this to be clear that while I am speaking in my capacity with Partners in Health Canada, a global health and social justice NGO, I do so only with the approval and support of our Haitian colleagues with Zanmi Lasante, as Partners In Health is known in Haiti.
Zanmi Lasante is today the largest health care provider in the country, after the ministry of health, supporting 17 health facilities across two of Haiti's most vulnerable districts and serving a tertiary catchment area of 3.9 million people. Zanmi Lasante's 6,500-person Haitian staff are of and from the communities they serve, working to support the realization of social and economic rights for their communities and their country.
The central crisis that our Haitian colleagues are dealing with today amidst an unprecedented fuel crisis, gang violence, kidnappings, individual and societal trauma, widespread hunger and now the re-emergence of cholera is the prospect of not being able to keep health facilities and hospitals we support open. Our colleagues are rightly proud that all 17 facilities have stayed open to serve patients, when up to 75% of facilities in the country are not able to offer even the most basic care.
One of those facilities still open is the University Hospital of Mirebalais, a 300-bed teaching hospital built by Partners in Health after the 2010 earthquake. The hospital generators need 23,000 gallons of fuel a month to keep functioning. When the main fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince was blocked by gangs, Zanmi Lasante staff walked with mules through the mountains to the Dominican Republic, six hours each way, to get fuel. They did some 10 to 15 trips this way. At other times, they risked their lives to find fuel elsewhere.
There are two Canada-funded projects of note. One has treated more than 4,300 children for severe and moderate acute malnutrition. Another has provided support for more than 1,600 survivors of gender-based violence, while building links between the health, police and justice sectors, and community and women's groups. They adapted their programming but never stopped operating, in spite of today's challenges.
Cholera is now at the forefront of everyone's mind, with more than 13,000 suspected and confirmed cases to date, and 280 deaths. These are severe undercounts, for sure. Children under five are most at risk, because malnutrition weakens their young immune systems, making them more vulnerable to contaminated water and poor sanitation and therefore more vulnerable to disease and death.
There is a global shortage of the cholera vaccine because there is limited funding for a disease that overwhelmingly affects poor countries, but Zanmi Lasante staff know how to respond, even in a crisis. They are preparing to lead a vaccination campaign for 105,000 people in Mirebalais, with initial doses expected to arrive next week.
Haitians are doing their best in an impossible situation. Our ask is that during this crisis and after it, we find, listen to and support deep-rooted Haitian organizations working for the betterment of their country, and that we do so with what our late co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer called “pragmatic solidarity”. In other words, we do it with material support that addresses material needs.
We have urgent needs for fuel and storage capacity. We need a new warehouse so that supplies are closer to patients and less vulnerable to road blockages. We urgently need medical supplies and additional staff for cholera, and we need to invest further in solar capacity across our facilities to reduce our dependence on fuel for the long term. Canada can help in all of these areas right now.
Just as critically, “pragmatic solidarity” means progressive development and international assistance policies that will allow Haiti to build stronger health systems and allow Haitians and the global community to respond better during times of crisis.
I'd be pleased to provide some examples in the question period.
Thank you again for this opportunity.