Port-au-Prince, May 10, 2017 - Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) met with Haitian authorities including the President of Haiti, H.E Jovenel Moïse, Prime Minister H.E Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant, and the Minister of Public Health and Population (MSPP), Dr. Marie Greta Roy Clément to discuss health system improvements.
Dr. Etienne thanked the President and his new government for their commitment to improve the population´s health in the country. She underscored the importance of strong leadership in the health ministry, and repeated PAHO's pledge of full support and continued partnership to improve health outcomes in the country.
She outlined the areas of mutual cooperation, and told national authorities that PAHO/WHO "will work assiduously toward the success of your programs." They agreed to involve all sectors, including private, public, civil society, and partners, to collectively end preventable deaths of mothers and children, control cholera, prevent the common risks related with non-communicable diseases and work toward expanding universal health coverage and ensuring that the Haitian population has access to quality health care.
Noting that PAHO has been working alongside Haiti for more than 50 years, Dr. Etienne said the current challenges include making the most of new health development in a sustainable way, modernizing the health system model, tackling ineffective health spending and waste, and fulfilling the full potential of the Ministry of Health in health and health care.
Both pledged to work together to take concrete actions to improve the health of people in Haiti, especially in coordination of actions around the national priorities. Government authorities outlined their concerns about the numerous challenges faced by the public health services in the country, which continue to hinder Haiti´s sustainable socio-economic development. The partners also discussed practical ways to embed appropriate and coordinated approaches into health systems initiatives.
The delegation also agreed on future priorities for the MSPP working in conjunction with PAHO/WHO.
