Dr. Jean William “Bill” Pape, founder of GHESKIO health clinics in Haiti, has provided free healthcare services for over four decades, pioneering treatments for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular disease while facing unprecedented challenges.
In Haiti’s current landscape of intensifying gang violence, Dr. Jean William “Bill” Pape continues to operate his network of health clinics despite profound personal costs. His son Douglas endured months of captivity by gangs in 2023, and over 20 staff members have been kidnapped in recent years. Yet these challenges have only strengthened his resolve to serve Haiti’s most vulnerable populations.
The GHESKIO clinics, positioned mere meters from gang territory in Port-au-Prince, provide essential healthcare services to hundreds of thousands annually. Despite 70% of his staff fleeing the country and 63% being displaced from their homes, the clinics maintain operations under increasingly difficult circumstances.
Dr. Pape’s journey in Haiti began in 1979 when he returned after medical training in the US. He successfully reduced infant mortality from diarrheal disease from 42% to less than 1% through innovative treatments. In 1982, he founded GHESKIO, which became instrumental in addressing Haiti’s HIV/AIDS crisis, helping reduce it from the leading cause of adult mortality to the seventh.
Today, the organization provides comprehensive services beyond medical care, including education, vocational training for survivors of violence, water purification, and microcredit programs. They’ve adapted to serve Haiti’s growing internally displaced population, estimated at 700,000 people.
The challenges are immense — gang blockades cause food shortages, violence disrupts basic services, and healthcare workers face constant threats. Despite these obstacles, Dr. Pape maintains his commitment to both treatment and research, currently following a cohort of 3,000 cardiovascular patients.
Emphasizing the importance of unity in Haiti’s recovery, Dr. Pape said in an interview with the Guardian, “If we’re able to stick together, those who are rich, those who are less rich, those who are poor, we will overcome any obstacle.”
Read the original article by Kat Lay in the Guardian on November 15, 2024: Kidnappers took his staff, then his son. But this Haiti doctor is refusing to flee
Watch these videos about Dr. Pape and his work:
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