标签： Haiti

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.”

In a formal ceremony held earlier this week, Haiti’s Minister of National Education Vijonet Déméro formally delivered 308 internship placement letters to the leadership board of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), marking a key step in strengthening the country’s public secondary education workforce. The internship placements are reserved for ENS graduating students who are preparing to complete their final requirements for official teacher certification.

Addressing attendees at the event, Minister Déméro opened by praising the participating students for their long-standing dedication to Haiti’s education sector and their willingness to pass on their expertise, technical skills, and professional standards to the next generation of learners. He emphasized the critical role the new interns will play in supporting secondary education across the country, urging them to approach their assignments with rigor and serve as thoughtful, effective mentors for high school and secondary students.

The minister also outlined the clear framework governing the three-month posting, including defining the legal rights and core responsibilities of the interns, as well as the specific oversight roles of three key participating bodies: ENS’s board of directors, local school administrations, and Haiti’s 10 regional Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE). At the conclusion of the 12-week placement, each intern is required to submit a comprehensive final report, which will serve as a mandatory component of their evaluation for earning a fully accredited teacher training diploma.

Beyond the internship initiative, Déméro used the ceremony as a platform to announce progress on a broader push to formalize Haiti’s public education workforce. To date, he confirmed, he has signed more than 600 official appointment letters for newly hired teachers and school principals across all 10 DDE regions, filling long-vacant roles at national primary and secondary schools. Moving forward, the ministry plans to regularize the employment status of an additional 1,200 under-contract teachers in the coming months, with the pace of the process tied to available government funding for education.

Dieuseul Prédélus, rector of the State University of Haiti (UEH), which oversees the École Normale Supérieure, praised the Ministry of National Education’s sustained commitment to integrating more qualified, formally certified personnel into Haiti’s public education system, noting that the move will help address long-standing staffing gaps and improve learning outcomes for students across the country.

As the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien gears up for its annual Flag Day parade on May 18, local municipal authorities have announced targeted infrastructure work that will get underway next week. The Cap-Haïtien Municipal Administration confirmed Monday that starting the week of May 11, 2026, comprehensive repairs will be carried out along Espagnole Street, alternatively called Street L, stretching from 2nd L Street through to 22nd L Street.

The project is being led by Haiti’s National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), as part of the agency’s broader mission to upgrade public infrastructure and expand access to quality basic services across the region. The upcoming repairs are timed to improve road conditions and public spaces ahead of the Flag Day procession, which draws hundreds of participants and spectators to the city’s streets each year.

To keep the project on schedule and avoid disruptions, municipal officials have issued a series of requests to local residents and motorists. All community members who live or operate businesses in the affected corridor have been asked to clear all personal belongings and obstructions from sidewalks and public areas in the work zone. A specific parking ban has been put in place for the evenings of May 13 and 14, 2026, when construction crews will be carrying out critical phases of the work that require full access to the roadway.

Officials have also reminded residents to avoid disposing of trash and waste in the work zone, as litter can slow construction progress and create safety hazards for technical teams. Municipal leaders emphasized that the success of the repair project depends entirely on broad civic cooperation from the local community, noting that citizen buy-in will allow construction crews to complete their work efficiently and without unnecessary delays.

In closing, the Cap-Haïtien Municipal Administration extended its advance gratitude to the public for their patience, sense of civic responsibility, and cooperation ahead of the project. The work is expected to be completed in time for the Flag Day parade, leaving the corridor safer and more accessible for event attendees and local residents alike.