TRAINING & LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT

Throughout our first year in Haiti, International Medical Corps’ physicians worked with our Haitian medical staff, local organizations, and the Haitian health ministry to identify gaps in knowledge and skills, develop training programs and provide on-the-job support to improve quality of care throughout the existing health care infrastructure.
 
We trained primary health care staff on triage, drug and pharmacy management, infection control, STI/HIV management, disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness, vaccinations, nutrition, and mental health diagnosis and case management. We also laid the groundwork for a sweeping Continuing Medical Education (CME) program, starting with sessions on emergency obstetrics in conjunction with the Haitian Medical Societies.  Future CME seminars are being planned for early 2011 and will include topics considered most needed by Haiti’s Ministry of Health and medical professional groups, including building capacity for disaster preparedness and risk reduction.