University Hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti, received formal accreditation from an international oversight group, affirming that the hospital’s medical education and residency programs meet the highest global standards.

ACGME-I, the international arm of the United States Accreditation Council for Medical Education, informed "Partners In Health" (PIH) known in Haiti as "Zanmi Lasante" of the accreditation of the institution, after a multi-year process and an in-depth analysis by its International Review Committee. The university hospital joins internationally accredited facilities in only seven other countries and is the second such facility in the Western Hemisphere, along with the University of Panama.

Dr. Sterman Toussaint, director of medical education at University Hospital for Zanmi Lasante, emphasized that distinction.

"This is a big achievement [...] Most of the time, institutions in high- and middle-income countries get access to accreditation—not institutions in low-income countries like Haiti. This is a reflection of the commitment of PIH and Zanmi Lasante to education."

Dr. Edward Hundert, dean for medical education at Harvard Medical School and an advisor to PIH, praised the milestone.

éThis achievement, of the internationally recognized highest standard for the educational programs at University Hospital, represents a truly wonderful validation of the years of hard work to build these programs, and of the outstanding quality of training that they represent [...] This is exciting news not just for the hospital and the people who made it happen, but ultimately for all of the patients who will be cared for by the clinicians who train in these now ACGME-I accredited programs."

Since the start of its medical education programs, Zanmi Lasante has graduated 123 residents, 98 percent of whom have remained to work in Haiti, including 58 percent at facilities supported by Zanmi Lasante. Another 116 residents are currently enrolled.

Dr. Mary Clisbee, administrator for graduate medical education at University Hospital, said the accreditation will bring many benefits, including a greater ability to attract and retain physicians from Haiti and abroad, who are seeking residencies at an accredited hospital.

"Now we have hard evidence that our programs here meet the highest educational standards—what we hope is that this will help in retaining physicians that, in the past, we’ve lost to other countries [...] Additionally, physicians from other countries will be able to come here and do rotations in our hospital, because those rotations will meet those standards. There are mutually beneficial results of those exchanges."

"No credible American medical school or teaching hospital functions without it,” Paul Farmer, co-founder of PIH said. "A lot of people didn’t believe that (a facility in) Haiti could do this. This is the best possible time for them to get that accreditation".

Learn more about "Partners In Health

The NGO "Partners In Health" (PIH) a Boston-based non-profit health care organization (founded in 1987) which is known in Haiti as "Zanmi Lasante" opened a university hospital in Mirebalais in 2013 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7102-haiti-health-inauguration-of-the-university-hospital-of-mirebalais.html, in collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health. The 300-bed university hospital https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7102-haiti-health-inauguration-of-the-university-hospital-of-mirebalais.html houses residency programs in internal and family medicine , pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, nurse anesthetists and emergency medicine.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7102-haiti-health-inauguration-of-the-university-hospital-of-mirebalais.html

HL/ HaitiLibre