A large number of the Haitian women who arrive to emergency rooms of public hospitals to give birth have serious conditions, reports Altagracia Ortiz, medical editor for Hoy newspaper. According to the report in Hoy, of almost 3,000 Haitian women in labor that sought care at the San Lorenzo de los Mina Maternity Hospital in eastern Santo Domingo, a majority suffered from severe anemia and hemorrhages hypertensive disorders and infections, and other vulnerabilities. This makes more costly the birthing care of these women. Moreover, the women usually arrive with no medical records to the public hospitals emergency rooms.
The director of the Los Mina Maternity Hospital, Dr. Leonardo Aquino complained that caring for the Haitian women consumes the most significant amount of resources of the public hospital.
He said many Haitian mothers-to-be come with heart diseases, diabetes, severe malnutrition, sexually transmitted diseases. Many are teenagers. There is also the language barrier. He said that in some cases, patients arrive suffering from psychiatric disorders.
He said the health difficulties of the Haitian women downwardly impact the perinatal and maternity morbidity statistics of the country. He said the health problems lead to prematurity, with all the consequences. He spoke of the high numbers of babies that require neonatal intensive care.
Dr. Aquino told Hoy that last year of 2,485 births to foreign nationals, 1,567 were vaginal deliveries and 918 were cesarean sections. He said the Haitian mothers were 46% of all the births at the hospital.
So far this year 2022, between January and February, at least 524 deliveries and 180 cesarean sections have been performed to Haitian mothers.
Despite the challenges and high cost of attending to the Haitian population that does not have access to medical services in Haiti, Dr. Aquino said that there are no limits to the care of users, regardless of ethnicity, race, or social status creed or nationality.
He said that the foreign women receive the same care as locals. He spoke of the high degree of humanity, quality, and warmth. More than 30,000 Haitians give birth at public hospitals every year for free.
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Hoy
7 March 2022