Haiti:

The Primary Trauma Care Foundation exists to save lives and prevent disability in developing countries like Haiti. We used this course to teach front-line health workers how to deliver emergency medical care with only basic equipment. On 12th January 2010, a devastating earthquake ravaged the country of Haiti. It was a disaster on a huge scale, killing 250,000, injuring a further 300,000 and leaving millions without homes. This event sparked HHA’s response to provide emergency treatment for natural disasters and other events requiring emergency response.

This work remains a core part of our mission in Haiti. In 2016, we opened a new Emergency Department in northern Haiti, a 14-bed unit which dealt with 6,416 emergency cases in the last year, a 28% increase from the previous year. We also run an ambulance service that transported 575 patients and opened a new digital radiology department. Our efforts continue to improve these services.

Primary Trauma Course:

In January 2019, Hope Health Action facilitated accredited PTC instructors from the UK to deliver Haiti’s first PTC course in the north of the country.  The course is designed in such a way to identify new, potential instructors.  Their skills are developed over the 5 days of teaching, to enable them to become newly qualified PTC instructors themselves. Along with a follow-up course in May 2019, there are now 66 new PTC providers and 12 new local instructors.

The course participants were from HCBH, Hôpital Universitaire Justinien (HUJ, local main government hospital), private clinics and three remote hospitals/clinics. These hospitals represent the vast majority of healthcare provision in the city of Cap-Haïtien. Participants were from a variety of clinical backgrounds, the majority being medical doctors or surgeons. Nurses and ambulance staff were also in attendance.

“This trainee-ship was very practical; it will help us save more lives.” Orthopaedic Resident