La Providence Hospital in Gonaïves, the largest healthcare facility in the Artibonite department of Haiti, has officially been granted university hospital status, according to a circular from the Ministry of Public Health. This allows it to host physicians for hospital residencies. In the preamble to this circular, the Minister, justifying his decision, emphasizes that [...] the number of medical graduates applying each year for this postgraduate program far exceeds the residency positions currently available in existing university hospitals. [...] it is the duty of the Ministry of Health to expand this offering to allow all postgraduate candidates, regardless of their academic background, to have equitable access to specialization [...]"

Circular from the Minister of Health, Dr. Bertrand SINAL :

"Having regard to the Constitution of the Republic of Haiti, particularly its provisions relating to the right to health and the State’s responsibilities in matters of healthcare organization;

Having regard to the Decree of May 7, 1981, organizing medical education and establishing, in Articles 11 and 12, hospital residency as a specialization internship open to physicians who have passed the competitive examination;

Having regard to the provisions adopted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population concerning hospital residency, setting quotas and procedures for integrating resident physicians into the country's public hospitals;

Having regard to the organic law of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, which entrusts it with the mission of guarantor and regulator of the national health system, as well as the responsibility for defining the standards of medical and hospital training;

Considering that postgraduate medical training, and in particular hospital residency, constitutes an essential link in the national health system and requires hospital structures that meet precise standards of clinical, academic, and technical supervision;

Considering that the closure or weakening of several university hospitals in the country in recent years has significantly reduced the availability of hospital residency positions, jeopardizing the continuity of several medical specialties essential to the population;

Considering that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Health and Population to identify and support hospital institutions capable of assuming a university-level role, with a view to expanding and diversifying the national offering of postgraduate medical training;

Considering that La Providence Hospital in Gonaïves has demonstrated, through the quality of its technical facilities, the supervision of its medical staff, and its capacity to accommodate patients, its ability to fulfill a university-level hospital training mission;

Considering that the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMP) of the State University of Haiti (UEH) is responsible for the academic management of the postgraduate program related to hospital residency, which remains open, by competitive examination, to all medical graduates in the country, whether from public, private, or foreign universities;

Considering that the number of medical graduates applying each year to this postgraduate program far exceeds the residency positions currently available in existing university hospitals, thus necessitating an urgent expansion of the national supply of residency positions;

Considering that it is the duty of the Ministry of Public Health and Population to expand this supply to allow all postgraduate candidates, regardless of their academic background, equitable access to specialization, and that the diversification of recognized university hospitals is an essential lever in this regard;

DECIDED AND COMMUNICATED AS FOLLOWS :

Article 1. - As of the date of this circular [September 17, 2026], La Providence Hospital in Gonaïves is recognized as a University Hospital and will henceforth bear the official name of La Providence University Hospital of Gonaïves.

Article 2. - As such, La Providence University Hospital in Gonaïves is authorized to host physicians for hospital residency, in the specialties and according to the quotas that the Ministry of Public Health and Population will determine, in consultation with the hospital administration and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMP) of the State University of Haiti (UEH).

Article 3. – This recognition is not exclusive. The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMP), will continue the progressive transformation of departmental hospitals, as well as any other hospital institution with the required capacity, into training hospitals or university hospitals, placed under the joint governance of the MSPP and the FMP.

Article 4. The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the State University of Haiti will remain responsible for the academic supervision, organization of training programs, pedagogical supervision, and evaluation of physicians specializing within these institutions.

This circular is published and disseminated for all necessary purposes and follow-up. [...]"

HL/ HaitiLibre