On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten signed into effect a Partnership Framework to support Haiti’s Health Strategy.

Through the Global Health Initiative, the US Government is pursuing a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to global health. The Initiative promotes a new business model to deliver its dual objectives of achieving significant health improvements and creating an effective, efficient and country-led platform for the sustainable delivery of essential health care and public health programs. The signing of this Partnership Framework is an important milestone that demonstrates the political will of the country to begin to take responsibility for the reconstruction and reform of its health system. The agreement illustrates how the USG has established a new way of working with the Government of Haiti on health issues, as the Haitian government begins to take greater ownership of the health program.

The purpose of this Partnership Framework is to refocus the cooperation between the USG and G.O.H. and their respective partners on supporting Haiti’s efforts to improve its health system and to reach the Millennium Development Goals, including promoting maternal and child health and reinforcing the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. This will be achieved through technical assistance, support for service delivery, policy reform, and coordinated financial investments.

More specifically, this agreement aims to advance the G.O.H.’s ownership and oversight of an adaptable and self-correcting public health system in Haiti, and to reduce its dependence on donor support over time.

At the end of the five-year period, it is expected that results in maternal and child health, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases and care for disabilities will improve, and that the G.O.H. will have made significant strides toward assuming primary responsibility for the management and performance monitoring of the overall health system, as well as increasing its financial support.

"By signing this partnership agreement, we want to meet the expectation of the Haitian people by offering a new way of working together that puts the government in the 'driver's seat' We want to reaffirm our commitment to provide resources to support the reconstruction of the Haitian health system" declared Ambassador Merten in his remarks during the signing ceremony.

For its part, the Prime Minster Laurent Lamothe said "My government will play its part to ensure that the objectives of this Partnership Framework are met and respected".

The ceremony was also attended by Ambassador Eric Goosby, OGAC Coordinator (Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator); Ms. Lois Quam, Executive Director of Global Health Initiative (GHI); Dr. Florence Guillaume, Minister of Public Health and Population; and Mrs. Charlotte Eddis, Pillar Health Coordinator for the U.S. Government in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre