An exploration of what drives our everyday work

Posted on January 4, 2022

At Partners In Health (PIH), our daily work is ultimately driven by our patients—whom we often call “our bosses.” But, beyond our bosses is an overarching set of guiding values and principles: our mission statement. It’s the “why we do it” rather than simply “what we do.”

Since the founding of PIH in 1987, we’ve had a mission statement, which has remained consistent over the years and always conveyed our commitment to social justice and high-quality health care. In five sentences, it explains why we exist, whom we serve, and how.

Our mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.

We draw on the resources of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities. At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.

When our patients are ill and have no access to care, our team of health professionals, scholars, and activists will do whatever it takes to make them well—just as we would do if a member of our own families or we ourselves were ill.

Below, we take a closer look at our mission statement and provide more context to what drives our everyday work:

Our mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care.

The phrase, “preferential option for the poor in health care,” means providing a health care option for low-income and resource-poor individuals and families, so those who need care most, come first in line. It’s articulated in the liberation theology of Father Gustavo Gutiérrez, a Peruvian priest and long-time mentor and friend to PIH Co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer, and explored further in the book they co-authored, In the Company of the Poor.

By establishing long-term relationships

We accompany communities as long as necessary and only by their invitation. Across most sites, this has involved decades of partnership, including more than 30 years in Haiti. In 2021, several countries where PIH works celebrated long-term anniversaries: 10 years for PIH Canada, 10 years for Compañeros En Salud in Mexico, and 25 years for Socios En Salud in Peru.

with sister organizations

Our sister organizations are local organizations all around the world that are all part of our “OnePIH” family. Staff delivers direct care to patients, coordinates and supports global work, provides technical advising, and educates the next generation of global health professionals.

based in settings of poverty,

We work in regions where a majority of the population is impoverished and facing poverty, which is a sustained deprivation of “resources, capabilities, choices, security, and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living,” as defined by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them

Many people who live in settings of poverty continue to suffer and die from preventable, treatable diseases. By bringing evidence-based treatments, medications, and diagnostics to these patients, we help save lives. 

Some examples of this include:

• Fighting tuberculosis (TB) with modern detection, treatment, prevention, and research across PIH sites. In 2020, for example, the Socios En Salud team conducted over 11,200 TB resistance tests and performed almost 50,000 X-rays to actively search for TB in and around Lima, Peru.
• Modernizing the blood bank to safely screen and store blood for lifesaving transfusions at PIH-supported Koidu Government Hospital in Sierra Leone.

and to serve as an antidote to despair.

PIH combines accompaniment, solidarity, technical expertise, academic excellence, and optimistic action. The result of this powerful mixture is what we refer to as the”antidote to despair.”

We draw on the resources of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions 

Our work is fueled by partnerships with national governments and local districts and with academic institutions, such as Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States, and the University of Global Health Equity in northern Rwanda.

and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities.

Nearly all PIH staff—99% to be exact—are from the country where they work. Staff grew up in the communities, have worked in the neighborhoods, and understand the needs of patients and how to provide culturally relevant care. Many patients have also become PIH employees and inform the quality care provided in communities and facilities all around the world.

At its root, our mission is both medical and moral.

We have worked to prove that comprehensive health care is not only a moral duty but also universally achievable. We strive to address the entirety of the burden of disease and suffering, whether it is physical, mental, or emotional, and whether it is acute, chronic, or palliative.

It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.

We are driven by the belief that all human lives are equally valuable and that every person has the inalienable right to be healthy.

When our patients are ill and have no access to care,

Our patients are diagnosed with a wide range of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cholera, TB, HIV/AIDS, and more. We provide care and referrals for all conditions and illnesses. Across most sites, patients live in rural, hard-to-reach communities where there are no health facilities or those that do exist have an inadequate supply of what we call “the 5 S’s”: staff, stuff, space, systems, and social support.

our team of health professionals, scholars, and activists will do whatever it takes to make them well—just as we would do if a member of our own families or we ourselves were ill.

PIH staff include health professionals (physicians, nurses, community health workers, etc.), scholars (from various academic institutions around the world), activists (such as our co-founders), and others, who are committed to helping our patients feel well and live a full, healthy life—just as they would want for their own parent, sibling, child, or loved one.

Originally published on pih.org

---

Partners In Health Canada is celebrating 10 years; we are humbled by PIHC’s supporters and partners over the past decade, and the countless lives that have been transformed as a result. Click to read more.