First Programs in Haiti Achieve ACGME-I Accreditation

Chicago, IL, July 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ACGME International (ACGME-I) is proud to announce that for the first time, two programs at Haiti’s Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (Lopital Inivèsitè Mibalè) have achieved Initial Accreditation: family medicine and internal medicine. The accreditation status for the two programs becomes effective 1 July 2023.

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), located in the central region of the country roughly 35 miles north of Port-au-Prince, opened in 2013 as a model institution to provide care to a rural, underserved population in midst of immense challenges from civil unrest, epidemic, and natural disasters.

Boston-based Partners in Health (PIH) spearheaded the non-profit project, creating a fully functional teaching hospital – the largest fully-solar-powered hospital in the world – within 27 months. HUM became the first Sponsoring Institution in Haiti to become accredited by ACGME-I in 2019.

“Our family medicine and internal medicine teams, who worked day and night putting their lives at risk most of the time – faculty [members] and residents – were all excited and engaged to get this tremendous result,” said HUM’s designated institutional official Ornella Sainterant, MD after learning of the accreditation outcome for the two programs. “This is a team effort, an example of what we still can achieve, a glimmer of hope in a situation of constant distress.”

As an accrediting body, ACGME-I is committed to strengthening graduate medical education around the world, “even in environments of limited physical resources, but with medical educators whose passion and enthusiasm is limitless,” said ACGME-I President and CEO James Arrighi, MD.

Dr. Sainterant added that PIH’s late founder Paul Farmer, MD, PhD would be happy with this news. “May his vision of social justice and equity in health and medical education continue for generations,” she said.

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ACGME International (ACGME-I) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization currently providing accreditation services to 181 programs in 21 institutions across 11 countries. Its mission is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians’ education through accreditation. ACGME-I seeks to improve global health by ensuring that physicians who care for individuals are well-prepared in all aspects required of their chosen specialty.