Partners In Health
Partners In Health, recipient of the 2005 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, is a global health movement to bring modern medical science to the world's poor.
The organization's founders began working in an impoverished squatter settlement in Haiti in the 1980s, guided by the belief that health is a human right and the lack of modern medical science in impoverished regions is a social justice issue.
From treating disease to addressing root causes
Beyond simply treating diseases, Partners In Health also addressed the conditions of poverty that cause disease. Clean water, housing, food, and education were viewed as just as important as free medicines. Health infrastructures were created where none existed. Community members were trained as health workers so that they can help treat their neighbors.
A model for healthcare delivery
The healthcare delivery system established in Haiti was embraced by the international health community as a groundbreaking model for treating complex diseases like HIV/AIDS and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. It has been replicated in the slums of Peru, the civilian and prison populations of Russia, the villages of three of Africa's poorest countries, and with inner-city poor in the United States. And it has come full circle: Haitian medical personnel are now working and training colleagues in Rwanda, Malawi, and Lesotho.
More information
Keynote speech, Paul Rusesabagina
Acceptence speech, Paul Farmer
