WASHINGTON, DC – Former United States President Bill Clinton appointed the physician and Harvard University professor Paul Farmer as the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti to assist in advancing the economic and social development of the impoverished Caribbean nation.
“Paul’s selfless commitment to building health systems in the poor Haitian communities over the last 20 years has given millions of people hope for a brighter future for Haiti,” said Mr. Clinton, who is the UN Special Envoy to Haiti.
Dr. Farmer, a founding director of Partners in Health since 1987, has dedicated much of his life to improving health care for the world’s most vulnerable people. As a student in 1983, he worked in villages in Haiti’s Central Plateau bringing modern health care to some of the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere.
Starting with a one-building clinic in the village of Cange, Dr. Farmer’s project now extends to a multi-service health complex that includes a primary school, an infirmary, a surgery wing, a training programme for outreach workers, a 104-bed hospital, a women’s clinic and a paediatric care facility, according to the Office for the Special Envoy to Haiti.
“His credibility both among the people of Haiti and in the international community will be a tremendous asset to our efforts as we work with the Government and people of Haiti to improve health care, strengthen education and create economic opportunity,” said Mr. Clinton.
