Today we received a concerning report highlighting ongoing communication and coordination challenges from an HEAS partner:
"I wanted to give you an update re the meeting yesterday. I drove 4 hours from Jacmel to attend the mobile clinic sub-cluster meeting in PAP. I informed the PAHO/WHO rep that I would be attending to discuss improved coordination of the IDP sites in PAP.
At the beginning of the meeting the secretary for MSPP spoke up and said that any organizations not on her list would not be able to sit for the meeting. She said all organizations have had 4 months to register, and should have known this by attending the Health Cluster meetings. I spoke with her and with the PAHO rep. The PAHO rep was interested in letting myself and another organization remain at the meeting, as we were just there for information purposes, but the MSPP secretary would not allow it. She walked 4 of us out. The two other organizations have over 25 mobile clinics each in the PAP region.
I explained that I was there to gather information and to help, she took my email address and said I would be sent information.
At the time, I did not try to argue the point but my organization is registered in Cap Haitian and in Jacmel post earthquake directly with MSPP.
So, essentially what we are seeing is
1. there is no thought of NGOs outside of PAP. The actual list she had was hand written in a small notebook. I just reviewed the one response website. I am registered on the "who does what where in Jacmel", but myself and many other organizations are not included in the national "who does what, where". This also does not include any organizations in the Cap Haitian area even though we have had meetings post earthquake for registration .
2. there is little desire to truly help NGOs with the process. If there were she could have presented the forms directly to us after the meeting.
I am truly at a loss for how to proceed with coordination. I understand that the government is trying to gain control of NGOs but this is definately not the way to proceed and is only going to result in more NGOs remaining "under the radar". I am not sure how new teams wanting to do mobile clinics in Haiti should proceed but I hope to clarify that this week with MSPP."
"I wanted to give you an update re the meeting yesterday. I drove 4 hours from Jacmel to attend the mobile clinic sub-cluster meeting in PAP. I informed the PAHO/WHO rep that I would be attending to discuss improved coordination of the IDP sites in PAP.
At the beginning of the meeting the secretary for MSPP spoke up and said that any organizations not on her list would not be able to sit for the meeting. She said all organizations have had 4 months to register, and should have known this by attending the Health Cluster meetings. I spoke with her and with the PAHO rep. The PAHO rep was interested in letting myself and another organization remain at the meeting, as we were just there for information purposes, but the MSPP secretary would not allow it. She walked 4 of us out. The two other organizations have over 25 mobile clinics each in the PAP region.
I explained that I was there to gather information and to help, she took my email address and said I would be sent information.
At the time, I did not try to argue the point but my organization is registered in Cap Haitian and in Jacmel post earthquake directly with MSPP.
So, essentially what we are seeing is
1. there is no thought of NGOs outside of PAP. The actual list she had was hand written in a small notebook. I just reviewed the one response website. I am registered on the "who does what where in Jacmel", but myself and many other organizations are not included in the national "who does what, where". This also does not include any organizations in the Cap Haitian area even though we have had meetings post earthquake for registration .
2. there is little desire to truly help NGOs with the process. If there were she could have presented the forms directly to us after the meeting.
I am truly at a loss for how to proceed with coordination. I understand that the government is trying to gain control of NGOs but this is definately not the way to proceed and is only going to result in more NGOs remaining "under the radar". I am not sure how new teams wanting to do mobile clinics in Haiti should proceed but I hope to clarify that this week with MSPP."
This report follows observations from other HEAS partners indicating increased frustration and civil tension in outlying areas who complain of lack of coordination and support as they have received thousands of IDPs post-quake. The HEAS has observed, for many months now, ongoing coordination challenges both in infectious disease surveillance and response activities within PAP that are dramatically more challenging outside of PAP.
It is important to note that crises and disasters often provoke tensions among responders. Haiti's disaster has proven to represent an extreme example of a disaster given the complexities of socio-economic and political issues, as echoed in communication among responding organizations.
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