Haiti - Health: Towards a sports medicine in the country
Valliolah Gilmus St. Louis, the Director General of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action, visited this week the Rehabilitation Institute Dr. Gérard Léon in order to identify ways to provide, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and population (MSPP), medical assistance to Haitian athletes in general and football players in particular.
Guided by the director of the Institute, Dr. Gessie Pierre, Ms. Gilmus visited, among others, the consultation rooms for physiotherapy, ENT, psychology, rehabilitation room. Founded in 2014, the only institute of rehabilitation of Haiti, has modern equipment used by physiotherapists and can thanks to the expertise of experienced Cuban technicians manufacture prostheses and provide patients with ankle, knee, medical corsets etc...
This visit follows the meeting held between the Minister Abel Nazaire and Ms. Daphne Benoit Delsoin, Minister of Health which aimed to explore opportunities for cooperation for the establishment in several chefs-lieux of departments of a device of care and rehabilitation of athletes. Pending the signature of a protocol agreement on medical support to Haitian athletes, the two ministers commit to work towards strengthening embryonic units of several hospitals, to identify those targeted and organize training sessions on rehabilitation and trauma for sports physicians.
This initiative of the Ministry of Youth meets a promise made by the Minister Nazaire on June 18 to the Dr Yves Jean Bart, President of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) to provide medical support to the players.
