Above: Ambulances at the new facility (Photo: OP)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haitian First Lady Sophia Martelly attended the opening Wednesday of a new National Ambulance Centre at Mais Gate Avenue in Port-au-Prince.

The centre will intervene with emergency care in seven areas in the city, based on health mapping of the metropolitan area.

The centre follows the tripartite agreement between Cuba, Haiti and Brazil signed in 2010 at the National Palace.

That was a five-part agreement on health cooperation including improved epidemiological surveillance, immunization support, the construction of three referral hospitals, a rehabilitation centre and the National Ambulance Centre.

The facility will report directly to the office of the Minister of Health and has 30 ambulances with oxygen, defibrillators and other emergency kits.

Martelly applauded applauded the public/private partnership, saying she supported actions aimed at facilitating Haitians’ access to health services.

She also met with the heads of aid agencies and the Brazilian delegation, the principal donor of the project.