Building an Infrastructure of Care and Hope
The Center for Global Cancer Medicine (CGCM) and Partners In Health (PIH) have been collaborating to bring cancer care to Haiti since 2012.
Following the 2010 earthquake that destroyed Haiti's largest hospital and damaged much of the country's health care infrastructure, the Haitian government and PIH built a large hospital in the city of Mirebalais, located in the country's Central Plateau.
Today, the University Hospital of Mirebalais serves more than 45 patients a day in its outpatient cancer clinic and has moved into expanded space with the inauguration of the Centre Roselene Jean Bosquet in 2018. The University Hospital of Mirebalais is the only provider of free oncology services in Haiti.
Services at Mirebalais include:
- Chemotherapy and cancer surgery
- Basic pathology services
- Electronic medical record
- Designated area for mixing chemotherapy with a biosafety cabinet and personal protective equipment
- Cancer education
- Long-term follow-up
- Socioeconomic support
- Support groups and community events
CGCM provides additional clinical support through:
- Standardized clinical protocols for each type of cancer treated
- Weekly tumor boards with CGCM oncologists
- Monthly case-based educational seminars
- Extended consulting visits by CGCM oncologists
- Development of a research program to better understand treatment outcomes
CGCM also supports oncology services at Mirebalais by bringing specimens to the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital for second opinions and advanced diagnostic studies, as needed.
Building Research Capacity
Capacity-building for research activities in Haiti has been an ongoing priority for CGCM. We work collaboratively with the Haiti oncology team to conduct clinical research and provide support and mentorship to investigators in-country on studies such as assessing breast cancer outcomes and identifying barriers to treatment.