This past June, we celebrated the Louverture Cleary School (LCS) Class of 2020 and the servant-leaders they will become. They will not be short on role models as they join a long line of LCS graduates. One such alum is Jhonny F., M.D.
Jhonny Fequiere, M.D. (LCS '00)
After graduating from LCS in June 2000, Dr. Jhonny F. earned a highly-coveted spot at the Medical School of the State University of Haiti.
“It was not easy,” Jhonny recalls. “Medical school [in Haiti], like everywhere in the world, is tough. To succeed, you have to study day and night, and be smart, dedicated, and diligent.”
After six years of study, his mandatory year of social service brought him to Artibonite where he remained for several years. During this time, he stepped forward as a leading medical professional during the 2010 cholera epidemic (Haiti's Cholera Death Toll Mounts, BBC, 10/23/10; Press in the Time of Cholera, Catholic News Agency, 10/27/10). Then in 2013, Jhonny started a specialization in obstetrics/gynecology, eventually returning to Port-au-Prince in 2019 to open a private OB/GYN clinic while beginning a master's degree in public health.
Jhonny's desire to pursue a career in medicine began at LCS when he and other students would translate for and assist visiting medical teams (Louverturians are fluent in four languages—Kreyòl, French, English and Spanish) as part of LCS's community service programs. “I was involved in all activities with those teams…This is where I started falling in love with medicine…This taught me that being a doctor would be a good choice for me to continue helping those in need.”
Jhonny, like his fellow doctors in Haiti, has had a difficult time since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Haiti.
Dr. Johnny F. attributes Louverture Cleary School with his interest in pursuing a career in medicine.
“It is very difficult to continue taking care of people in different private and public healthcare facilities. The medical staff does not have adequate equipment to protect themselves from getting COVID-19. The Haitian government and medical staff are trying to do the best to contain this pandemic, but it’s still difficult. The Haitian healthcare system has many problems and was not prepared for such a situation.”
Haiti's healthcare system significantly lacks the capacity of other countries in the western hemisphere. Whereas the United States has 25 doctors per 10,000 people, Haiti has 2.5.
“Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the healthcare system receives just a fraction of the national budget," said Jhonny. “Hospitals are under-equipped. Hospital staffs are not well paid. People are not covered by insurance. According to those problems, this healthcare system needs to be changed. To have this result, the Haitian politicians need to sit together in order to have common objectives to get the country out of this situation.”
A Note from The Haitian Project
We understand that these are challenging times and that many people are confronted with significant hardships.
But this is precisely why we still have to ask and pray that those who can give, will. Our teachers and staff in Haiti rely on our support; and we are going to be there for our 360 students when schools re-open again. Please give today if you can.