The Shortcomings Of The Health Care System In Haiti

As a local Haitian resident, health has always been a concern. To summarize the shortcomings of the health care system in Haiti, the life expectancy for the average male is sixty-two and sixty-six for the average female (World Health Organization, 2015). As well, the probability of dying between the ages of fifteen and sixty is 24.2%, this is an incredibly high percentage that is making a great impact on the country’s well-being. It is obvious to say that there is an inadequate health care system. Many people in communities rely on non-government organizations (NGOs) because the country lacks “a sustainable system of private and public financing to cover operational costs and to grow a network of public health care facilities” (USAID, 2016). But with time and effort put forth by both the Haitian government, local residents and NGOs, it is a very tangible objective.

Haiti lacks clean water and clean sanitation facilities. This alone harbors the spread of diseases like cholera, which has killed thousands and sickened nearly five percent of the population (World Health Organization, 2015). From 1990 to present day, Haiti has essentially made zero improvements in the overall status of water and sanitation facilities (World Health Organization, 2015). In addition, malnutrition affects 53.4% of the population of Haiti, that is nearly 5.7 million people (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015). Undernourishment is a huge threat to survival and child growth, which is both preventable and treatable. Furthermore, in 2012, it was noted that 58.5% of Haiti’s population were living in poverty. People cannot afford transportation to the limited number of clinics that overflow with urgent patients, let alone access these facilities. People cannot afford treatment and medicine to get better. Haitians need a change and they need it