Haiti: The Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere, Research Paper Example

Haiti has been declared the poorest country in the Western hemisphere for some time now. According to the CIA (n.d.), 80% of the population lives under the poverty line. 54% lives in abject poverty (p.8). This number is astounding and needs to be improved in some way. However, Haiti is not as fortunate as many other countries. Their economic statistics paint a similar picture to the poverty rates. According to the CIA (n.d.), “Haiti is a free market economy that enjoys the advantages of low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports. Poverty, corruption, and poor access to education for much of the population are among Haiti’s most serious disadvantages” (p.8). Haiti’s Per capita GDP in 2011 was merely $1,300. The unemployment rate in 2010 was a staggering 40.6 percent and industrial production growth declined by 4.8 percent in 2010. In addition, “Haiti suffers from a lack of investment, partly because of limited infrastructure and a lack of security” (CIA, n.d., p. 8). The statistics show that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, but it is also important to look at some of the ways in which the economy has hurt itself due to poverty, illiteracy, and health care. Haiti’s high poverty rates are not the outcome of a single factor but several contributing factors. Overpopulation, a poor healthcare system, a poor education system, and natural disasters are just a few of these contributing factors.

First, Haiti is severely overpopulated. According to the CIA (n.d.), Haiti’s land area is 27,750 sq. km (which is just slightly smaller than the whole state of Maryland). Currently, as of July 2012, Haiti’s population is approximately 9.8 million. That is more than 50% of Maryland’s population of which is only 5.8 million (United States Census Bureau, n.d.). In addition, overpopulation has lowered the quality of life for many Haitians. Due to the overpopulation, there are limited resources to feed the ever-growing population. It is also important to note that the demand for labor exceeds the supply of labor. This does not make for an easy solution to Haiti’s poverty problem. The more Haitians there are, the more the economy has to work to supply jobs and give to the community. Unfortunately, due to the poverty, most companies within the country are not able to do this. With limited resources, the economy is not able to grow and expand; rather, the overpopulation hinders the possibility of greater things for Haiti.

Secondly, Haiti has a very poor health care system. Poverty continues to hurt all of the people of the country as they do not have proper health care and this increases the problems of the country. According to Grace Wong from CNN (2009), Haiti has fewer health care facilities than it actually needs and hospital bed occupation rates are often 100 percent. According to Helen Redmond (2010), “Haiti lacks modern medical resources: state-of-the-art hospitals and clinics; sufficient numbers of trained nurses, doctors and other medical staff, medical devices, diagnostic technology and medicines.” Wong (2009) backs this up by stating that the country still lacks modern facilities and the latest medical technologies. With limited facilities and limited staff, it is very difficult for the health care system to provide the proper care to its citizens. In addition, Haiti faces several health epidemics.  According to Helen Redmond (2010), though there have been medicines to cure tuberculosis, “over 5,000 a year die and rates of TB infection are increasing.” Also, HIV/AIDS kills over 7,000 each year in Haiti (Redmond, 2010). In addition, the CIA (n.d.) states that 18.9 percent of children under 5 from Haiti are underweight. To top it off, only 51 percent had access to clean water in 2010 (The World Bank, n.d.). These are astounding numbers. Numbers that should not even have to be thrown out there. To think that so many people are dying from HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (which has a cure), and that people do not have clean water to drink just amazes the common person. Finally, the poverty rate increases due to poor health due to the fact that fewer individuals are able to work. If individuals cannot work, no money is going to be made for them to support their families. Poor health means more missed work days and poor job performance. With this happening, there are huge economic costs to the country. The citizens are not making money which in turn means they are not buying things and the economy suffers because workers cannot be present for shifts.

Next, Haiti has a very poor education system. According to CIA (n.d.), the literacy rate is only 52.9 percent. In addition, only 8 percent were internet users in 2010 (UNICEF, n.d.). With such a low literacy rate and only 8 percent of the population being internet users, poverty is going to be common. Low literacy rates and poor educational skills lower the quality of life for a person. These individuals will only obtain low-income jobs if jobs at all. Their lack of knowledge is also a competitive disadvantage against foreign competitors. A poor education system allows the cycle of poverty to continue and does not help citizens make anything of their lives. The school systems need to be developed to increase the literacy rate and teach newer technology so that citizens have a chance at a better life for themselves and their families. However, poverty, in turn, influences this as well. School systems have to have the funds in order to change the school system. If the country had the funds, it would be able to change a lot of the disadvantages that stand against in them in obtaining good jobs, making something of themselves, and learning to develop their skills. If this is done, the citizens of Haiti would not have to worry about foreigner’s stealing their jobs or them not having the skills to perform to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, the country cannot start with the school systems as so much has already put a burden on the country financially.

Finally, natural disasters such as the earthquakes have been the burden for financial stability for the country as well (Miller, 2010). According to Talea Miller (2010), “recovery from the January earthquake that is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of Haitians and left even more homeless could cost up to $14 billion, according to Latin America’s main development bank.”  There will be several years required to repair the infrastructure. “The bank’s economists estimated the damage done to the country’s economic sector, infrastructure, roads, and buildings will amount to between $7.2 billion and $13.9 billion, depending on the final death count and other variables” (Miller, 2010). The loss of time will further push back the country’s economy and it will continue to stay in poverty. The people of Haiti do not have control over the natural disasters that mother nature decides she wants to put upon the Earth and unfortunately, we are not capable of knowing when something like this is going to strike; however, it is important to be aware of the repercussions if these natural disasters to happen. The United States spends so much time helping other countries. Maybe it is time that the United States actually helps Haiti, provide the country with information that might be helpful for them, and give them a little more support.

In conclusion, Haiti’s high poverty rates are the result of several factors. Overpopulation puts an enormous amount of pressure on limited resources. A poor health care system that lacks technology and trained medical staff as well as hospitals and clinics results in loss of working days and poor job performance. In order for citizens to make money and the economy to stay afloat, individuals have to be a great health. A poor education system does not help the situation either. This results in a low quality labor force and does not allow for advancement. It also does not help the unemployment rate and allows for foreign competitors to receive the jobs that should belong to the citizens. Finally, natural disasters have plagued Haiti and have cost the country billions of dollars that could be spent on the health care and school systems. These natural disasters cannot be controlled, but they can be dealt with in a specific manner that allows for the economy to bounce back after one has affected the country.

References

CIA. (n.d.). The World Factbook – Haiti. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

Miller, T. (2010, February 17). Economic Cost of Haiti Quake Could Hit $14 Billion. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/02/economic-cost-to-haiti-could-hit-14-billion.html

Redmond, H. (2010, February 11). Haiti and Health Care. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/02/11/haiti-and-health-care/

The World Bank. (n.d.). Haiti. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://data.worldbank.org/country/haiti/

UNICEF. (n.d.). Education. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.html#90

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Maryland. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24000.html

Wong, G. (2009, April 13). In Haiti, patients despair of adequate health care. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-13/health/haiti.crisis_1_trauma-cases-trauma-center-health-care?_s=PM:HEALTH