In a landmark victory for pediatric orthopedic care in northern Haiti, the Office of Workplace Accident, Illness, and Maternity Insurance (OFATMA) has announced that a 5-year-old patient born with hip dysplasia is now able to walk independently after a successful complex surgery at its Cap-Haïtien hospital.
Five-year-old Prince Rubterson Étienne lived with severe congenital hip dysplasia from birth, a condition that distorted the structure of his hip joint and left him struggling to stand or walk without assistance. For months, his family faced uncertainty about his future mobility, until a specialized medical team at OFATMA Hospital stepped in to perform the high-stakes corrective procedure seven months ago.
The surgery, which combined three specialized orthopedic techniques—a Smith-Petersen iliofemoral release, femoral head reduction, and a Chiari pelvic osteotomy—addressed the root structural abnormalities caused by the dysplasia. The procedure was led by Dr. Hubert Michel Pierre-Louis, working alongside fellow orthopedic specialists Drs. Erick Bruno and Canold Andrevil, with support from a full team of nursing and allied health professionals at the facility.
After a half-year of structured post-operative rehabilitation, the young patient has surpassed recovery expectations. He can now walk without any external support, a outcome that offers him a new level of independence most clinicians did not guarantee before the intervention.
This successful outcome is not an isolated case, according to OFATMA representatives. It is the latest in a growing series of specialized orthopedic interventions offered at the Cap-Haïtien hospital, proving that local Haitian medical teams have the skill and infrastructure to manage complex pediatric orthopedic cases that would once require referral to overseas medical centers.
Looking ahead, OFATMA has confirmed it is expanding its specialized healthcare services, with a full schedule of additional complex surgical procedures planned to serve more patients across northern Haiti who lack access to advanced orthopedic care.