Friday, February 18, 2022 at the Henri Christophe campus in Limonade (North Dept.), Alex Larsen, the Minister of Public Health proceeded to the inauguration of the Faculty of Midwives, in the presence in particular of Mrs. Sophia Loréus, Minister for Status of Women, the Director General of the Ministry, Dr Lauré Adrien, the Ambassador of Canada to Haiti Sébastien Carriere, the Rector of the State University of Haiti Fritz Deshommes, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA-Haiti) Saidou Kabore, the Dean of Campus Henry Christoph Nadége Daudier, the President of Campus Hérissé Guirand, local authorities, departmental directors of the Great North, members of civil society and a cohort of 60 students all of the first batch.

In his speech, Minister Larsen congratulated the students who chose to embrace this noble profession despite the difficult context of the country and wished them to become true accomplished professionals for the benefit of the country.

Excerpt from the speech by Sofia Loreus Minister for the Status of Women and Women's Rights :

"[...] Despite the low progress, we still have in Haiti, the highest maternal mortality rate in the Americas region. The work of Midwives today largely contributes to the reduction of this rate and therefore contributes to the mission of ensuring the improvement of women's health throughout their lives and not only at the time of the birth [...]

[...] The profession of midwife is a job that contributes to strengthening the empowerment of women. With 98% of women practicing this profession and given the enormous care needs represented by a population of nearly 3 million women of gestational age, there are enormous opportunities for job creation in this sector. We also recognize that political efforts must go towards the recognition of midwives as professionals in the health sector to enable the realization of these opportunities.

[...] Too few of our fellow citizens, our women and daughters, know that the day-to-day work of midwives is not limited solely to care related to pregnancy and childbirth. It is our responsibility to make the general public and other professionals better aware of the vital role that midwives play in women's health [...]

[...] A faculty is a teaching and research institution. It is therefore a tool for permanent and sustainable development. We therefore wish good work to the professionals who will supervise the personal development of the students and that of this faculty which constitutes an achievement for all of Haitian society."

HL/ HaitiLibre