Haitian and European/French entities join in the fight against COVID-19 in Haiti

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 20, 2020 / An aircraft filled with more than €1,500,000 of medical equipment landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 17^th. The Boeing 747 carrying 72 tons was part of the European Union air bridge to countries in need of support to face the global pandemic. Along with the EU, the massive shipment, vital to the fight against the growing COVID-19 crisis in Haiti, was organized and financed by a coalition of Haitian and European government agencies and nonprofit organizations at the direction of the Haitian Multisectoral Commission for COVID Management (Commission Multisectoral de Gestation de Pandemic COVID-19, or CMGHP).

This historic collaboration began when the Haitian government contracted with French manufacturer NOVAIR for eight oxygen concentrators through its CMGHP. Following several years of cooperation with Mirebalais hospital (Zanmi Lasante) funded by AFD, a French governmental agency, and the GHESKIO centers, the Paris University hospitals (AP-HP) provided further equipment including x-ray machines, ventilators, personal protective equipment and other essential medical supplies. The Paris hospitals foundation solicited one of its partners, the French Fondation Lacoste which contributed €130,000 for a ninth oxygen concentrator.

Additional support came from France’s Ile-de-France regional government, which supplied €35,000 in aid, more than 100,000 surgical masks and other personal protective equipment, as well as serological tests. This initiative was led by regional president Valérie Pécresse and regional councilor Anne-Louise Mesadieu, a native of Haiti.

The shipment of this equipment largely purchased by the Haitian government was organized by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affair’s Crisis and Support Center and the COVID-19 humanitarian program of the European Commission in coordination with the Haitian Governmental COVID-19 management commission and Haitian nonprofits Les Centres GHESKIO and Zanmi Lasante.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Haiti continues to rise. The country is especially vulnerable since many residents live in densely populated communities where social distancing is physically impossible.

Dr. Jean William Pape, CMGP co-chair and GHESKIO founder, said, “Europe and France continue to persevere in their fight against COVID-19, not just within its borders but also internationally. We are grateful to the many organizations who worked tirelessly to deliver these critical supplies to Haiti.”

About Us

About GHESKIO

GHESKIO, which operates a network of clinics in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti, is an international leader in clinical care and research for HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Since the earliest days of the HIV epidemic, GHESKIO has been at the forefront of HIV response, implementing testing and prevention strategies and serving as the largest provider of HIV treatment in the Caribbean. GHESKIO has been a key leader in Haiti’s decrease in HIV prevalence from 6.2% in 1993 to the current level of 2.0%. GHESKIO is also the Caribbean’s largest provider of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. GHESKIO is world-renowned for its research, with more than 35 years of continuous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for single-site clinical trials. GHESKIO is a member of the prestigious AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). GHESKIO researchers have published over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and GHESKIO-developed care protocols are in use in developing nations around the world.

About the Haitian Global Health Alliance

The Haitian Global Health Alliance is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 organization that provides fundraising and communication support for GHESKIO.

Contacts

SOURCE: Haitian Global Health Alliance, Inc

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