The opening of Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais in May 2013 was a monumental achievement. Where cows once grazed now stood a hospital equipped with the resources and professionals to offer all Haitians a dignified healthcare option. But while opening the doors signified that the major hurdle of construction was over, the new and ongoing challenge of maintenance had only begin. What other company could be better suited to develop and hire a team to maintain the most complicated hospital in rural Haiti than the company that built it?

Build Health International supported HUM for it’s first three years of operations, developing a team, hiring a facilities manager, and supporting that team’s needs. BHI did not outsource this management, but participated every step of the way by helping to set up structures for governance and staffing, develop plans for hiring, and create standard operating procedures for how everything will run once the hospital opened.

HUM’s checklist of departments, equipment, machinery, and infrastructure that need attention is seemingly infinite and continues to grow as the hospital adapts to patient needs. Several of the most obvious maintenance projects are the wastewater treatment system, fiber optic network, medical gas system, incinerator and HVAC. Constructing these systems in a resource poor country like Haiti was a feat in and of itself, but keeping them running for the foreseeable future is an entirely different challenge. BHI endeavors to show the world that building a hospital to the highest standards is possible in a country like Haiti, but that maintenance in an efficient, economical, and sustainable way can be done too.