In Hinche, a New Warehouse Changes the Future of Healthcare in Haiti
In Hinche, Haiti, a wooden perimeter has been carefully marked off around a grassy, vacant lot. Nearby, local construction teams unload several trucks of materials that have been locally sourced in-country, including sand, gravel, cement, and rebar. The beginnings of column footings are already underway, as well as plans for future electrical and plumbing installations.
Although still in the early stages of construction, within five months, this site will become the Hinche warehouse, a two-story structure that spans 4,000 square feet. Once complete, Hinche, which was designed in collaboration with Zanmi Lasante (Partners In Health), will fundamentally shift how Build Health International tracks and delivers the materials that build healthcare solutions throughout Haiti.
Why Warehouses Matter
Every project, no matter how big or small, depends on warehouse operations.
Whether a clinic or piping for an oxygen system, all healthcare infrastructure requires logistical procurement and supply chain coordination. These processes are often highly complex and require advanced planning, management, and execution. Every step can be managed thanks to a warehouse.
For over the past decade, project sites throughout Haiti have required a warehouse facility, including those in the communities of Mirebalais and Fond Des Blancs. In these cases, BHI has designed, built, equipped, and managed its own facilities, gaining insight on how they are structured and operated. This unique perspective on warehouse construction has been critical–and useful–for building Hinche, which is on track to be one of BHI’s fastest completed projects ever.
An Unconventional Space for Healthcare
Miguel Vasquez, engineer and project manager for the Hinche warehouse, has high hopes for the project, which was conceptualized last October. “The last three warehouses that BHI has built have been more for storage. This is going to be something completely different.” Unlike the other warehouse projects, the Hinche warehouse is designed to store medications, which often require reliable cold chain temperatures. “It’s going to have three freezer rooms, with lots of racking to maximize the space, and [capacity] to store complicated medicines,” says Miguel. “Although it’s a smaller space, with all the racking that you have, the storage is going to be like having 12,000 square feet.”
Thanks to the generous donation from Boston Children’s Hospital, three refrigerators will stock the space for future deployment to major healthcare centers, including the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, Saint Boniface Hospital in Fond Des Blancs, and other facilities. A cold storage room will also ensure a constant medication supply chain, guaranteeing that patients throughout Haiti receive the necessary treatment and support that they need in order to thrive.
A New Chapter for Logistics and Procurement
Beyond safeguarding precious medications, the Hinche warehouse will receive, store, and enable transportation construction materials and equipment that can be resourced to different healthcare facilities throughout the country. Recent challenges in Haiti’s capital of Port-Au-Prince, including political unrest and gang activity, have complicated many of BHI’s project schedules. Consequently, procurement and transportation of medicines, biomedical equipment, and other supplies that support hospital facilities have been delayed or interrupted.
Yet, the Hinche warehouse allows Build Health International’s team of project managers and construction experts to overcome the hurdles. Instead of utilizing Port-Au-Prince, it now purchases its materials from Cap Haitian, a city located to the north of the country. With its centralized geographical location, the Hinche warehouse automatically overcomes the need for passing materials through PAP and renders easier transportation of materials.
More importantly, healthcare facilities can depend on Hinche for future construction needs. The Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM) is one such facility that will highly benefit from a Hinche warehouse. Since its opening in 2013, HUM has undergone several different expansions and renovations. Two concurrent projects, including a solar panel installation and a diagnostics center, both will benefit from warehouse proximity as materials are sent to their project sites.
In addition to serving healthcare facilities, the Hinche warehouse, which will be operated and maintained by BHI upon its final construction, will be equipped with administrative and a kitchen space. Furthermore, several new jobs will be created, opening other economic opportunities to local community members.
All in all, the planning and construction of the Hinche warehouse is a reflection of how BHI readily responds and adapts to a complex and ever-changing logistical environment in Haiti. With a little creativity and problem solving, advanced health care delivery can continue more efficiently, one block at a time.
Rosanna Niosi serves as Build Health International’s Communications and Marketing Manger. She writes about accessibility, innovation, and occupational health in global health systems.
