Having a baby should be an exciting, joyful experience. But for women in Haiti, delivering a baby comes with a lot of risks, and much fear.
The country of Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in all of the Western Hemisphere, and 1 out of every 80 Haitian women die from childbirth or pregnancy related complications. In fact, of all the maternal deaths that occur in the world, 94% of them occur in developing countries, where resources are scarce. Most of these deaths could have been prevented.
Having access to basic care and clean supplies could mean the difference between life and death for countless mothers and newborns.
MAP recently sent a shipment of medicine and health supplies to support the work of Dr. Renaud Gerve at Pro-Famille Clinique in Haiti. Pro-Famille Clinique provides free health care to women and children and runs a mobile clinic to serve those living in remote villages.
“The medical donations from MAP allow Dr. Gerve’s clinic to deliver high quality care in a truly impoverished area with extremely limited resources,” Dr. Massick says. She explains that in these areas of Haiti, there is a lack of even basic amenities like running water and electricity. “These basic medical supplies, such as chux, gowns, masks/face shields, are in incredibly short supply and if available, are often too expensive.”
Thanks to these health supplies, Dr. Gerve was recently able to safely deliver a baby by lantern light at their mobile clinic.
While the “birthing room” may seem rudimentary to those accustomed to working with more modern facilities, the delivery of a healthy baby, with access to clean medical supplies, is a luxury for doctors like Dr. Gerve who are serving the poor in the developing world.
Dr. Massick wrote to thank MAP International for their support in supplying these items for Dr. Gerve.
“We appreciate the opportunity to use these supplies on our medical missions and hope to continue to do so in the future given the ongoing need in countries such as Haiti.”
