WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇭🇹

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Haiti

Caribbean · #30 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

49.7 per 1,000 live births · Haiti

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

49.7

per 1,000 · 1.8× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

480

per 100,000 · 2.4× world avg

Caribbean

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Haiti
During Childbirth

480 maternal deaths per 100,000 — the highest in the Americas, in a country where gangs control access to the main hospital.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

49.7deaths per 1,000 live births

1.8× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

480deaths per 100,000 live births

2.4× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Haiti

Haiti is the only country in the Americas where cholera has returned (reintroduced 2022). Gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince. The 2010 earthquake killed 230,000; the 2021 earthquake killed 2,000+.

No meaningful improvement in a decade. Conditions are worsening due to gang violence and state collapse.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Neonatal causes27%

Diarrhoea20%

Pneumonia14%

Cholera8%

Other31%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~83%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~54%

doctor, midwife or trained nurse

⚠️

Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%

of all under-5 deaths occur at birth

🩸

Most preventable with skilled care~75%

of child and maternal deaths

🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in Haiti

Gang control of Port-au-Prince has made the main referral hospital effectively inaccessible. 45% of children are acutely malnourished. PAHO warns of imminent collapse of the entire health system.

Rapidly deteriorating since 2021.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage28%

Eclampsia22%

Sepsis17%

Obstructed labour15%

Unsafe abortion10%

Other8%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here

🩺

Emergency obstetric care availableLimited

few facilities can manage haemorrhage

🩸

Blood transfusion accessCritical gap

haemorrhage kills within 2 hours

💊

Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent

costs $1 — saves lives instantly

✅

If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths

WHO estimate for this mortality level

⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in Haiti

Gang control of 80%+ of Port-au-Prince

Presidential assassination (2021) — no functional government since

Cholera epidemic (reintroduced 2022) by UN peacekeepers

2010 + 2021 earthquakes — cumulative devastation

45% of children acutely malnourished

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Haiti is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with sub-Saharan Africa–level mortality rates. Emergency international intervention is required.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Haiti?

📍 The Situation

Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's only country in the top 30 for both infant and maternal mortality. The country has been in a state of compound crisis since the 2010 earthquake. Nationwide gang control of Port-au-Prince has collapsed the healthcare system in the capital and surrounding areas.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

Haiti has been a site of POCUS innovation by humanitarian organizations — Médecins Sans Frontières, Partners in Health, and others have deployed portable ultrasound in Haitian health facilities for over a decade, with documented positive impact. Formalizing POCUS training through GUSI's curriculum — including online components accessible from Haiti's provincial areas outside gang-controlled zones — and partnering with Haiti's strong NGO health sector would consolidate and scale what works.

🎓 The Training Gap

Haiti has a small but dedicated cadre of Haitian physicians and nurses who have received POCUS training over the years. Building on this cadre as master trainers, using GUSI's train-the-trainer model, is the fastest path to national coverage.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device

🩸Placenta previa

🔄Malpresentation

👥Twin pregnancy

📉Fetal growth restriction

⚡Pre-eclampsia markers

🫁Childhood pneumonia

💉Internal bleeding

🧠Hydrocephalus

🧮

Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — Haiti

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in Haiti50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

32

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

40

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

72deaths prevented

1.4

lives per provider

$344

est. cost per life saved

$24,750

total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

�

Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to Haiti

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Haiti

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices

🦋 Butterfly iQ+

Website →

Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.

🔵 Philips Lumify

Website →

App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.

🟢 GE Vscan Air

Website →

Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.

🔷 Clarius HD3

Website →

High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.

Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like Haiti

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.