Since its founding in 1948 by the Wesleyan Mission, the La Gonâve Wesleyen Hospital has provided basic health services through resident medical staff and visiting teams of specialists.
This faith-based hospital is now managed by World Hope International (WHI) and partners with the local Wesleyan church and Global Partners to care for the sick, promote preventative medicine, and train caregivers and technicians. It provides life-saving medical care to Anse-à-Galets’ residents and the surrounding region.
The heartbeat of any hospital is found in three necessary resources: clean water, oxygen and blood. In partnership with Give Power (provider of solar powered solution), WHI has supplied access to clean water, and now we are celebrating the hospital’s ability to produce oxygen, with the hope of a future blood bank. Something as simple as the air needed to breathe can be a challenging thing to procure. Now hope is flourishing thanks to a brand-new oxygen generation plant.
The challenge
The hospital has faced many challenges in procuring oxygen, mainly due to the continuously dangerous situation in Haiti. Hospital staff had to travel to Port-au-Prince by boat, then on to Cité Soleil where the nearest oxygen supply plant is located. Transportation costs, which almost exceeded the price of oxygen bottle refills, were also a major obstacle.
Often, it would take one or two weeks to refill and transport oxygen to the hospital. There were times when it was impossible to make the journey due to safety concerns. During those periods when oxygen couldn’t be procured, some patients endured a great deal of suffering, and some lost their lives due to lack of oxygen.
The impact
Thanks to generous donors and partners, the hospital is now self-sufficient in terms of oxygen supply and can produce 10, 220-pound bottles of oxygen every 24 hours. This ensures the hospital always has a sufficient supply available for patients.
Veronie B. Jules, head of nursing and hospital anesthetist shares, “As an anesthetist, I often find myself in very stressful situations when I am in the operating room. Sometimes, due to a shortage of oxygen, I fear that my patient might suffer from hypoxia during the operation. However, with the help of this sustainable source of oxygen, I feel more confident while dealing with patients on reanimation. This system has allowed us to provide more reliable care without any risk of oxygen shortage.”
The ripple effect
The La Gonâve Wesleyen Hospital recently received a call from a Port-au-Prince hospital struggling to provide their patients with oxygen and requested a few bottles of life-saving oxygen. Thanks to the new oxygen generation plant, they were able to help save the lives of patients from another region in Haiti. This ripple effect will continue to be a blessing to other hospitals and clinics in the future.
Being empowered to provide for their own needs allows the La Gonâve Wesleyen Hospital to respond to other’s needs. Jesus calls us to come follow him and then we, in turn, are asked to take what we have been so graciously given to impact the lives of others. In reaching out to others in the area with lifesaving oxygen, the hospital is being Jesus’ hands and feet, sharing hope and holiness in a dark and dangerous place.
Rev. Tanya Nace is an ordained Wesleyan minister serving in the Atlantic District and chief executive officer of World Hope International Canada.
Rev. Natalie Gidney is an ordained Wesleyan minister serving in the Atlantic District and strategic engagement and communications coordinator for World Hope International Canada.
