On May 12, 2026, Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) joined national health institutions, international organizations, and government bodies to celebrate International Nurses Day, centering the 2026 observance on the theme “Our nurses. Our future. The power of nurses to act saves lives.” The official commemorative ceremony was held at the MSPP’s nursing directorate, drawing a high-profile guest list that included Public Health Minister Dr. Bertrand Sinal, Minister for the Status of Women Pedrica Saint Jean, top executives from the MSPP and the National Ambulance Center (CAN), and delegated representatives from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), UNICEF, and the Panos Institute.
In her opening address to attendees, Carine Reveil Jean Baptiste, Director of the MSPP Nursing Directorate, extended formal congratulations to every nurse practicing across Haiti’s public and private health systems. She highlighted the consistent, often underrecognized work of nursing staff to elevate care standards and advance population well-being, even amid systemic and national challenges.
Gabriel Timothée, Director General of the MSPP, followed with remarks emphasizing the irreplaceable role nurses hold in keeping the national health system functional. He reminded the audience that nurses remain on call day and night at patient bedsides, delivering consistent care with unwavering professionalism and commitment to their mission.
Minister Dr. Sinal used the occasion to reaffirm that nursing workforce issues have been a top policy priority since he assumed his role at the head of the public health ministry. He shared tangible progress on this commitment, noting that nearly half of all recent senior and frontline staffing appointments published by the ministry have been for nursing positions, signaling the government’s investment in strengthening the nursing workforce.
As a key component of the national celebrations, the General Directorate of the Office of Workplace Accident, Sickness and Maternity Insurance (OFATMA) issued a formal statement paying tribute to Haiti’s nurses. The statement acknowledged that nurses carry out their daily work with remarkable professionalism, courage, and humanity while serving OFATMA beneficiaries and the broader Haitian population. It noted that despite severe socioeconomic and security challenges that define Haiti’s current national context, nursing staff continue to fulfill their duties with extraordinary dedication, compassion, and a relentless sense of duty, framing their work not merely as an occupation, but as a life-giving vocation. OFATMA closed its statement by expressing profound gratitude for nurses’ exemplary commitment and their irreplaceable contribution to the country’s social and health protection systems.
Minister Pedrica Saint Jean, who leads the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women’s Rights, also delivered a formal address honoring Haiti’s nursing workforce, the majority of whom are women. She paid respect to the courage, dedication, and professionalism that nurses demonstrate daily while caring for populations across the country, often working in underresourced, challenging conditions. Saint Jean described nurses as the foundational force holding Haiti’s healthcare system together, noting that they carry out a fundamental human and social mission: to treat, comfort, listen to, and save the lives of Haitian citizens. From major urban hospitals and local clinics to rural maternity wards and isolated remote communities, and in the midst of ongoing public health emergencies, their unwavering commitment stands as a powerful symbol of national solidarity and resilience. Saint Jean closed by reaffirming her solidarity with all Haitian nurses, thanking them for their invaluable contribution to the health, dignity, and well-being of the Haitian people, ending with the tribute: “Honor and Merit to Haitian nurses, guardians of life and human dignity.”