On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, Dr. Sinal Bertrand, Minister of Public Health; Kesner Romilus, Director General of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES); and several senior officials from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) including Emmanuelle Mona, Lead Specialist in Health, Nutrition, and Population, who serves as the IDB representative for Haiti and Honduras, participated in the official launch of the program "Restoring Access to Essential Health Services" (HA-J0012).

The IDB has approved a $100 million grant to assist Haiti in rebuilding essential health services in the Far North region (comprising the North, Northeast and Northwest departments).

The grant will support initiatives such as the development of community referral hospitals, the rehabilitation of hospital infrastructure, the strengthening of community health services, the deployment of mobile clinics, improved maintenance of medical equipment and health facilities, the use of digital health tools for patient management, and training for healthcare personnel in a more patient-centered approach. The interventions will also extend to other key referral facilities in the Greater North, including the Justinien University Hospital, the Plaisance Community Referral Hospital, and the Trou-du-Nord Community Referral Hospital.

The initiative will build upon efforts underway since 2022 as part of social protection operations supported by the IDB. It will directly facilitate the delivery of essential services aimed at preventing and treating common non-communicable diseases—such as diabetes and hypertension—as well as infectious diseases, including cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). To foster the empowerment of marginalized groups—including internally displaced persons, returning migrants, vulnerable women, and individuals with disabilities, the program will develop care protocols that take their preferences into account.

The majority of the grant resources will be dedicated to strengthening health infrastructure, with the goal of enhancing the response capacity of the network of facilities that serve priority communities. This represents the first step in a long-term commitment to rebuild the response capacity of the public health network, beginning in the greater Northern region.

The official technical document for this grant is registered on the IDB portal under reference number HA-J0012 (Operation 6049/GR-HA) and is structured around four key components: strengthening health system management, providing an integrated package of essential services, improving user participation, and developing the capabilities of facilities that serve priority communities.

This grant will be disbursed and implemented over a period of 84 months [7 years]. The project is expected to directly benefit 750,000 people in targeted communities, starting with the country’s three northern departments.

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre