The main public health issue mentioned in this article is the cholera epidemic that was caused by UN Nepalese workers, and the lack of accountability by the UN. The article discusses how the UN is "immune" to a court's decision, despite its obvious injustice for Haiti. In spite of the distrust by world leaders and NGOs on the Haitain government to handle a trust fund meant to help its citizens, the money that has gone directly to them has been used to increase childhood vaccination and save HIV patients. This shows their ability to manage funds and the issues that arise when allowing people overseas to handle the money meant for efforts in Haiti.
Brian Concannon, executive director of the Insitute of Justice and Democracy in Haiti, a nonprofit in Boston. Fights for human rights on the island of Haiti.
Carrie Kahn, NPR. National Public Radio, news source.
President Michel Martelly, Haitain president.
United Nations
Nepalese soldiers - brought with them cholera to Haiti. Sent from UN.
Ban Ki-moon - U.N. Secretary-General - led plan to eradicate cholera.
Haitain Ministries of Health and Environment - not trusted by the world to control a trust fund
Jake Johnson - Center for Economic Policy and Research - Washington
US Government Accountability Office - pricing the cost of building new housing too high
Mission of Hope - NGO helping build houses
US Congressmen - demaing UN Secretary-General take responsibility for outbreak
US District Court Judge J. Paul Oetken - rejected class-action lawsuit that saught to compel the UN to compensate victims and fund cholera eradication
Beatrice Lindstrom - lawter at the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
The main point of this article is that efforts to restore and rebuild Haiti have not been done as they should have been. Despite the donations received to help, none of the funds have been used appropriately to transform Haiti. The lack of responsible spending has caused the transformation to halt and rebuilding efforts to fail. The ways in which organizations are spendng their money is irresponsble and wasteful. As a result, the current status of the country is not at all where it should have been. Also, the UN brought cholera with them, which has killed over 9,000 Haitians, for which they are not taking any responsibility.
There are no references attached to the article, however, the author does refer to various news sources and has apeared to have interviewed UN officials and other people involved in rebuilding efforts via NGOs.
The situation now is worse than it was after the disaster, which is the main point of this article.
"The outside world's response to Haiti's continuing cholera epidemic offers a revealing window on this disheartening dynamic"
"The source [of cholera] is clear to public health experts: Cholera was brought to Haiti by Nepalese soldiers quartered in a United Nations peacekeeping camp that spilled its waste into a tributary of the Artibonite."
"The UN has, thus far, refused to acknowledge responsibility for the cholera catastrophe"