Partners In Health has been working in Haiti for over three decades, and in the midst of the country’s current crisis, the global health organization is drawing on its past experience to treat patients in the face of spiraling violence, supply shortages, and exhaustion.
“All our clinics are open, even though we are experiencing major issues to move drugs and medical equipment, and our staff as well,” Dr. Wesler Lambert, executive director of Zanmi Lasante, the nonprofit affiliated with Partners In Health in Haiti, told Devex in an interview. Zanmi Lasante is one of the largest health care providers in Haiti, operating 17 clinics with a focus on the country’s central plateau.
But it’s unclear just how long the organization can continue its model. After years of violence, Haiti plunged into chaos last month after gangs took control over much of the capital of Port-au-Prince and brought the country to a standstill.