After 30 hours of painful labor, a 16-year-old mother-to-be
was in urgent need of immediate medical assistance – but her remote village was
located one hour away from the nearest hospital. With each passing minute, the
danger grew. Fortunately, her family was able to call an ambulance, purchased
earlier in the month by the Haitian Health Foundation with the help of crucial funding
from AmeriCares.
When the ambulance arrived, the young woman was put
on IV antibiotics and rushed to the hospital just in time. Although her baby
boy was not breathing at birth, the doctor managed to revive him. The newborn
was placed in pediatric care, and eight days later, the new mother and her baby
boy were able to return home, safe and healthy.
In the first six
months since the vehicle was purchased in April, 2011, the Haitian Health
Foundation estimates that the ambulance has saved the lives of more than 70
expectant mothers. Each day, emergency
workers use the vehicle to provide crucial services to women in labor—rushing them from rural areas to Haitian health care facilities or the
government hospital in Jeremie, and ensuring the safe delivery of babies.
“At least half the women and children who received
our services would have had tragic outcomes if not for the ambulance,” said
Jeremiah Lowney, president of the Haitian Health Foundation. “Their lives were
saved because they quickly received proper medical care.”
Photo courtesy of Haitian Health Foundation
The ambulance project is just one of the ways AmeriCares Haiti is restoring health
services in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. Our in-country team continues
to expand programming, focusing on initiatives that fill urgent health care
gaps, strengthen the overall healthcare system, and meet the needs of the
country’s most vulnerable populations, especially mothers and children.
Every
step of the way, we collaborate closely with our partners in Haiti to ensure we
are delivering the right aid to the right people at the right time.
