On July 27th, I took two flights to land in Cap Haitien, Haiti. I was not going on vacation. I was not going on a mission trip. I went to Haiti to shadow a doctor in Haiti not only to broaden my medical experience, but also to experience a new culture and learn about healthcare in Haiti. For instance, voodou is still practiced among the populace and that has medical ramifications because its practitioners would rather go to the witch doctor rather than a real doctor. Haiti has one doctor for every 10,000 people. For comparison, the USA has 25 doctors for every 10,000 people. As of writing this article, many of the government employed doctors are on strike due to low wages and increasingly scarce resources. Public health facilities are struggling to stay functioning due to this.
Hospitals are also scarce in the island nation. Most people in the area I stayed in would have to travel many miles and hours to get to a hospital if they need to go to one. The clinics many of the villages' inhabitants rely on are not equipped to handle many of the tougher cases of disease and injury. While the clinics are free, the medication and hospitals are not. The doctor I shadowed has been doing his best to make a positive impact on the lives of his patients and the community as a whole through his latest project.
Dr. Eugene Maklin was born to farming parents. He started studying medicine as a way to help the people of Haiti. He was granted a scholarship to the medical school in Port au Prince. Since then, he has been practicing medicine for 14 years. Besides working in five clinics, Dr. Maklin sponsors a soccer league, works with charities to build wells and helps the orphanages in the area. By far, his biggest project has been the construction of New Hope Hospital in Plaine du Nord.
New Hope Hospital has been in construction for two years. The first floor is partially finished. By the end of August, Dr. Maklin plans to use it as an outpatient clinic as he waits for the rest of the hospital to be completed. Upon completion, the hospital is planned to have at least 60 beds, but he hopes to expand the hospital to add more beds in the future. New Hope plans to offer services such as maternity, intensive care and surgery. In addition to more beds, Dr. Maklin hopes to build a separate building for a conference room as well as a guest house for people working at the hospital as a part of a mission trip.
As progress on the hospital has been going smoothly, it needs your help. Building the hospital is an expensive undertaking and is being funded mainly through donations. You can donate money at the GoFundMe and see more about the hospital at the original mission's site. Every donation brings quality healthcare one step closer to the people of Haiti.
