For the past three years, Dr. Vaugelas Louissaint has been committed to the Zanmi Lasante mental health service. He started out at the University Hospital in Mirebalais, to the rhythm of consultations, silent emergencies and stories of distress. Then, when the country sank into crisis, he joined Hôpital Sainte-Thérèse in Hinche, resuming his work in an upturned context.
Nothing had prepared him for what it would mean to practice this profession in times of prolonged crisis. Nothing, except perhaps the strength of those he cares for.
“There are mornings when the silence of the road echoes like a question: will I make it through today? And yet, I get up. Because I know that someone, somewhere, is waiting for that listening ear, that support, that appointment.”
Dr. Louissaint talks straightforwardly about mental wear and tear. The invisible weight of this mission. But he also talks about his patients with immense respect: a woman who finds sleep again after weeks of nightmares. A young man who, after a long silence, finally says what’s on his mind. A family that dares to hope.
In the hospital corridors, he becomes that landmark. A calm voice, a familiar face, a reminder that, even in chaos, there are still spaces for care and dignity.
His balance, he finds in simple gestures. In exchanges with his colleagues, in moments spent with his children. He insists: “You can’t take care of others if you forget yourself.”
Today, he would like to pay tribute to his colleagues. To those who carry on, who stand firm, who adapt, despite everything. And he has a strong message for partners: “What we need is not just resources, but recognition, listening, respect for the mental health of us caregivers.”
His testimony is not a complaint. It’s a call to see the human behind the lab coat. To understand that the mission doesn’t stop when conditions become difficult. On the contrary, that’s when it takes on its full meaning.
“This mission is bigger than me. And as long as a patient is waiting, I’ll go.
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