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Haiti - Cholera : PAHO calls for international funding 28/02/2013 11:57:35
"Today, the Haitian government is giving us the opportunity to do what needs to be done," said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne in welcoming the plan, which was announced by Haitian officials today in Port-au-Prince. "For the plan to be implemented, Haiti’s friends in the international community must align their efforts and harmonize around this plan and provide the necessary financial resources." The new National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti provides a blueprint for increased investments in water and sanitation infrastructure, water-quality monitoring systems and water and sanitation management. It also includes health measures for prevention, surveillance, and case management; interventions for community-based behavior change; and vaccination for targeted groups against cholera. The plan calls for US$485.9 million in investments during the next two years. In revealing the new plan, Haitian Minister of Public Health and Population Florence Guillaume said it reflected "an integrated effort of the entire international community" and called for continued support from Haiti’s partners to help mobilize the resources needed for its implementation. "Increasing the population's access to drinking water to nearly 85%, increasing access to sanitation and hygiene to at least 90%, raising to 90% the collection of household waste in the metropolitan area Port-au-Prince and 80% those produced in secondary cities and strengthen the public health system to improve access to health care services" are, among others, the objectives contained in the ten Year Plan. Even prior to the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had the lowest rates of water and sanitation coverage of any country in the Americas. Only 63% of residents had access to improved water sources in 2008, and only 17% had access to improved sanitation. These conditions led to the rapid spread of cholera throughout the country, which continues to record new cases, more than 1,500 on average per week, so far this year. The US$485.9 million in proposed investments for the next two years (2013-2015) includes US$81 million for rehabilitation, expansion, and maintenance of drinking water systems, and measures for water quality and emergency preparedness; US$60 million for wastewater and excreta disposal; and US$74 million for capacity building for the National Water and Sanitation Department (DINEPA). The new plan, developed by DINEPA and the Ministry of Public Health and Population, grew out of a “Call to Action for a Cholera-Free Hispaniola” launched in January 2012 by the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with support from PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In June 2012, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and CDC joined with other organizations to create the Regional Coalition on Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera Transmission in the Island of Hispaniola, to provide technical expertise and resource mobilization for cholera elimination. The cholera call to action received another boost last December, when United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced US$23.5 million in U.N. funds to support these efforts. In welcoming the new elimination plan today, PAHO Director Etienne pledged US$500,000 in funds from PAHO/WHO to install water and sanitation connections in primary health care facilities, strengthen care for cholera patients, and promote oral rehydration at the community level. "We will work with coalition partners to implement this plan, and I call on the entire international community to play your part in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of our Haitian brothers and sisters," said Etienne in a taped message for the plan’s launch. PAHO Deputy Director Jon K. Andrus said the new cholera plan is one of several "good news stories in Haiti," including the introduction of the pentavalent vaccine into the national immunization schedule and progress toward universal immunization coverage. He said the success of the cholera elimination plan would have "a spin-off effect on national economic development, tourism, agricultural production, and overall productivity arising from improvements in the health of the population in general." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7388-haiti-health-ban-ki-moon-tuesday-launched-an-appeal-for-$22-billion.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7373-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html HL/ HaitiLibre
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