Center for Global Cancer Medicine

Mirebalais Hospital

As in Rwanda, Dana-Farber's mission in Haiti is to:

• Train local doctors and nurses
• Establish a cancer care delivery system
• Build systems for keeping medical records
• Provide a foundation for research
• Establish the country's first radiation therapy facility

Following the 2010 earthquake that destroyed Haiti's largest hospital and damaged much of the country's health care infrastructure, the Haitian government expanded its plans to construct a small hospital in the city of Mirebalais. In April 2013, these efforts culminated with the opening of University Hospital of Mirebalais. Based on its successful partnership in Rwanda, the Center for Global Cancer Medicine and PIH are collaborating with Mirebalais to bring cancer care to Haiti.

Today, University Hospital of Mirebalais is the only provider of free oncology services in Haiti. Cancer care at Mirebalais includes:

• Education
• Screening and prevention
• Intravenous and oral chemotherapy
• Cancer surgery
• Counseling and support groups to help patients cope with a cancer diagnosis and treatment side effects
• Palliative care

More than 40 patients are treated daily in the hospital's outpatient cancer clinic. As more patients are treated for cancer, it is essential to build robust systems to track data, share knowledge, and conduct research.

Read more about cancer care in Haiti through a first-hand account by Dr. Ruth Damuse, Oncology Program Director in Haiti.