Rural Hospital in Haiti
The Nicaraguan EcoSur partner “EcoSolutions S.A.” finished the construction of a hospital In Belladère, near the border to the Dominican Republic in February. The Spanish donor “Fondo Andaluz de Municipios para la Solidaridad Internacional” (FAMSI) with cofinancing from UNDP opened a tender in January 2013 based on a provisional design of a rural hospital. EcoSolutions, a company active internationally mainly in post-disaster reconstruction and using “green technologies” won the contract based on the lowest offer.
Planning started in June with a topographic survey. The plot where to build is located next to the main road, but on a hillside. The challenge for the design was thus clear, at all cost avoid that the patients would have to climb stairs and create a level access, but also maintain all services on the same level.
The team of architects and engineers at the home base in Nicaragua found a solution that provided maximum comfort to the patients and the personnel, but also kept building costs at a low level. The building was divided into three different areas, the general attention to the public, the private retreat for the staff and the area for maternity with a different access, to minimize contact between the sick and the pregnant women.
The construction started in August with massive earth-moving, all done with local manual labour, thus creating jobs and keeping a low energy-profile. The two Nicaraguan Engineers on site started at the same time a teaching program for a group of men that had recently participated in a masonry course organized by FAMSI, the students were given small tasks to train them as small contractors.
In just six months they were able to complete the building, under sometimes rather difficult situations. The badly maintained dirt road passing near the hospital is often blocked by neighbours demanding favours from the government and the supply lines were broken, the village has no electricity and water had to be pumped from a distant point, torrential rainfalls broke the construction rhythm. In Haiti it is difficult to guide a team of local workers, social unrest between different groups and threats of strike are common, but the team of EcoSolutions managed to keep the calm on the worksite, even though the negotiations with the different competing small contractors were often difficult.
The building could be handed over at the exact date the contract had stipulated, in spite of the always difficult social situation and numerous infrastructural problems.
In the opening of the Hospital, staff from FAMSI and UNDP with local authorities.
First row, with red shirt, Eng. Jorge Suazo, from EcoSolutions.
More photos: Rural Hospital in Haití
More information (spanish only): FAMSI recepciona la obra de un Centro de Salud en Belladere, Haití
