Haiti earthquake disrupts access to maternal health care

When a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in August, a 17-year-old girl went into preterm labor due to the stress of the event. She gave birth in the car before she got to the hospital. And her baby, who was 11 weeks old, was not crying – an indication that all was not well.

Fortunately, nurse midwife Rosina Baptiste was nearby at the Maison de Naissance, a birthing center based in Les Cayes. When the couple arrived, Baptiste and her team were able to clear the baby’s lungs and stabilize both the newborn and the mother, despite the fact that the center itself was badly damaged in the earthquake, and the surrounding area was devastated.

The massive earthquake is the latest tragedy to befall Haiti – a country still reeling from the assassination of its president in July, widespread instability, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The earthquake struck the country on August 14, killing at least 2,200 people and injuring more than 12,000. Thousands of homes and buildings were demolished, trapping people under piles of rubble and leaving many people homeless.

Since then, Baptiste says, employees are afraid to come to work. Many are still traumatized by the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake, which killed about 220,000 people and caused widespread devastation, and feared another shock would cause the clinic to collapse. Dozens of staff and many patients who have lost their homes live in tents provided by the center.

Maison de Naissance is repairing damage incurred during the earthquake, including several broken power lines, cracked water pipes and a cracked foundation, preventing the clinic from operating at full capacity. Despite these effects, most services continued, Baptiste says.

Direct Relief midwife groups arrive at the Maison de Naissance in the days after the earthquake that struck southwest Haiti in August. (photo courtesy)

But other health facilities have not done well. According to UNICEF, many surgical and maternity wards are no longer equipped for safe delivery. Meanwhile, roads blocked by rubble and man-made obstacles made it difficult for patients to reach health facilities.

This is because chronic barriers to maternal and child health services prevent many Haitian women from receiving adequate care, even in times when disasters do not occur. Many live in rural areas where health care options are limited. Due to the lack of transportation, it is not always possible to get medical care in a timely manner. Jim Grant, CEO of Maison de Na . said:

Others cannot afford it. In Haiti, public hospitals charge a fee. If patients cannot pay up front, they are often refused. This includes women in labor, according to Grant, who estimates average delivery costs between $25-50. For Haitians – many of whom live on less than $2 a day – these costs can be prohibitive. “25 or 50 dollars is a lot of money and it can be a reason why some women don’t go to the hospital,” Grant said. “It’s a big deal.”

The health care provider performs the ultrasound in a temporary structure in the days following an earthquake. (photo courtesy)

Most women who cannot access hospital care give birth at home, where unsanitary conditions and lack of clean water are a common cause of infection and even death. Additionally, women who give birth at home are less likely to have a skilled medical professional attend their birth. If there are complications, they may not receive the medical interventions they need.

For these reasons, Haiti has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the Western Hemisphere. According to the World Bank, 480 women die for every 100,000 live births, compared to the US rate of about 20 women per 100,000 live births.

Maison de Naissance helps bridge this gap in care by providing comprehensive maternal and child health services to women in rural Haiti. Since 2004, the clinic has delivered more than 7,000 babies to healthy mothers, improving the local maternal mortality rate, and increasing access to prenatal and postnatal care, all at no cost to patients. In addition, the clinic provides family planning services, HIV and AIDS treatment, and vaccinations for children.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic is having a hard time getting there. Many women fear contracting the virus and are reluctant to seek care. Meanwhile, some health facilities have been forced to close, according to the United Nations Population Fund. The organization reported that a facility was suspending services for 27 days after a patient and two service providers tested positive for Covid-19. Vaccines became available, but Baptiste reported that many patients are resistant to vaccination, or even hearing the vaccine, and prefer to give birth at home, despite the increased likelihood of complications.

direct relief response

To ensure the Maison de Naissance continues to operate and the services it provides, Direct Relief is giving the birth center $95,000 to repair structural damage caused during the earthquake. The funding will be used to repair the clinic’s foundation, sewage system, power lines, satellite receiver, water system, laboratory and administration building – all of which are required to fully operate the Maison de Naissance.

Since the earthquake struck Haiti in mid-August, Direct Relief has provided more than $8.6 million in medical assistance to health facilities and medical institutions operating within the country, including the Pan American Health Organization. The aid included more than $7.3 million in pharmaceutical drugs and more than 5 million daily prescribed doses of drugs. Direct Relief provided beneficiaries with more than 16,000 bottles of antibiotics, 560,000 water purification tablets, 41,400 antenatal tablets, and 45 tents to use as temporary shelters.

Direct Relief is liaising with health facilities and organizations on the ground in Haiti and will continue to respond to requests for medical assistance.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos