Why

For too long, Hansen’s Disease, commonly known as leprosy, was largely overlooked in Haiti. Then, in 2014, following the World Health Organization’s International Leprosy Summit, a small initiative in a hospital in the north of Haiti began offering care to people with unexplained skin conditions. What started in a conference room evolved into Klinik Sen Damien, now Haiti’s only dedicated leprosy clinic. Since CMMB began supporting it in 2017, it has become a vital referral center, providing free testing, treatment, and care to thousands of patients across nearly half the country.

What

Today, Klinik Sen Damien delivers comprehensive, compassionate care for people affected by Hansen’s Disease and other skin conditions. Patients receive in-depth consultations and diagnostic laboratory testing, including bacilloscopies, followed by appropriate treatment using WHO-recommended medications.

Beyond treatment, the clinic provides one-on-one health education to help patients understand the disease and prevent its transmission. To offset financial barriers to care, the clinic also covers patients’ transport costs—support that was especially critical in the clinic’s early years, when medications were available only in a distant hospital. Thanks to sustained investment, patients are now treated closer to home in a hygienic, purpose-built space with solar-powered laboratories and inpatient beds. The ministry of health has designated Klinik Sen Damien the primary referral center for Hansen’s Disease in northern Haiti.

After CMMB advocacy, Hansen’s Disease was incorporated into the national TB program. That means that cases are now tracked in national data, drugs are supplied through government pipelines, and patients benefit from steady access to free treatment and faster diagnosis and referral. Finally, because the condition is treated like other infectious conditions, stigma is reduced.