Six Facts on Haiti’s Healthcare System

• According to the CIA World Factbook, the life expectancy at birth is 65.3 years, which places Haiti at the 194^th place compared to the rest of the world.¹
• As of 2018, 160 000 Haitians were living with HIV, with women being disproportionally affected by the virus (58%). Overall, 67% of people living with HIV knew their status, and 58% of people living with HIV were on treatment.²
• As of 2017, only 41% of infants, age 12 to 23 months received all basic immunization shots.³
• The health care delivery system is structured into three levels: primary care is provided at some 800 health centers and 45 community reference hospitals; 10 departmental hospitals provide secondary care; and five university hospitals and three specialized centers provide tertiary care.⁴
• Of the 900 health institutions, 38% are public, 42% are private, and 20% are mixed.⁴
• One of the priorities within Haiti’s Strategic Development Plan is the establishment of a health system accessible to all. Only 53% of Haitians reportedly have access to health facilities as of 2017.^4,5

References

1. CIA. (2020). World FactBook: Haiti. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html
2. UNAIDS. (2020). Overview on Haiti. Retrieved October 24, 2020 , from https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/haiti
3. Ministry of Public Health and Population. (2018). Mortality, Morbidity and Use of Services (EMMUS-VI) 2016-2017 Summary report. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/haiti/rapports/emmus-vi-rapport-de-synth%C3%A8se-2018
4. Pan American Health Organization. (2017). Haiti. Retrieved October 31, 2020 from https://www.paho.org/salud-en-las-americas-2017/?p=4110
5. UNICEF. (2019). Factsheets. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/haiti/media/626/file/Fact-Sheet-f%C3%A9vrier-2019.pdf

By: Jennifer Shu Ping Chen