Lack of Preventive Care in Haiti



Abstract

The paper discusses the challenges and the opportunism that Haiti is facing in relation to fighting HIV. It is seen that the lack of the preventive care is the biggest hurdle to controlling this disease, whereas the healthcare system in Haiti is not advanced and is mostly dominated by the traditional beliefs about health and cure. Despite, the challenges, the national and the international level to improve the healthcare system and device program for HIV control. These programs include providing awareness to the local population about the disease and extending medical support widely.

Lack of Preventive Care in Haiti

Introduction

The lack of preventive care in Haiti is the cause of poor improvement to health care. Currently only 20 % of funds are being targeted for HIV prevention, the goal of UNAIDS is that 45% be spent o prevention. It's great to give treatment to already HIV infected individuals but how do we prevent new HIV infections. Currently 48% of Haiti's population is under the age of 18, we should target this age group and try to promote healthy sexual behaviors to prevent infections and to provide comprehensive sexual education and easy access to good quality condoms.

Literature Review

According to a medical anthropologist working in Haiti, the health seeking behavior in Haiti is based on the multiple belief system which is very complex. The illness is categorized as the illness of God and the Illness by Saran. The illness is cured with the biomedicine which is preferred by most people if they have the resource to access it. If the biomedical care is not available the cure is in the form of traditional or the informal healing from the bonesetters, herbalists and the itinerant medicine sellers is used (Faulkner,Maynard,2002). The illnesses which cannot be cured by the biomedical are addressed by a variety of the ways rooted in catholism, voodoo, Protestantism or other combination of the beliefs.

The already weak health system in this Caribbean nation has been devastated after the earthquake razed with hospitals in the capital of Port au Prince. Even the makeshift health centers by international agencies and organizations have faced a number of obstacles in order to meet the excessive demand (Faulkner,Maynard,2002). Communication lines remain falls, continuous access to the island limited, the excessive increase of patients in temporary facilities in place, the little equipment available is not sufficient medical supplies remain scarce. Even in the United Nations Hospital, one of those in better function, salvageable death cases continues to climb due to lack of medical supplies and basic equipment. The situation with the dramatic level of existing infectious diseases in this country has remained well below other areas prioritized in the response to the Haitian tragedy. However, in this country is estimated that about 200,000 people living with HIV or AIDS and lack of access to antiretroviral treatment threatens to cause a worsening health situation in Haiti. For now, medicines for HIV are almost scarce and there are no clinics providing ART ...