Abstract:
This research aimed to analyze and assess the roles of World Health Organization
in humanitarian assistance to response the cholera epidemic in Haiti for the period
of 2013-2018. Cholera is an infectious disease caused severe diarrhea transmitted
through water bone medium that can kill the victims if is not immediately be
treated. In 2010, the disease occurred in Haiti and the situation has now becoming
an epidemic. With the low capacity building to recover the devastation condition,
the national government began to request assistance from the international
community. As one of the prominent actors in global health, the World Health
Organization has been provided humanitarian assistance since the outbreak of the
disease and continued to implement its long-term commitment to eliminate
cholera from Haiti. In analyzing the case brought in this research is used Liberal
Institutionalism in addressing the relation between World Health Organization in
delivering humanitarian assistance as a form of aid cooperation towards its
member state, Haiti. This is followed with the concept of International
Organization and Humanitarian Assistance in order to understand the roles of
World Health Organization through the implementation of health programs in
response towards the cholera epidemic. There are several health programs
conducted in controlling and preventing the transmission of cholera in Haiti
conducted by the Organization including Epidemiological Surveillance, Public
Health Services, Oral Cholera Vaccination and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
From the conduct of the following programs, there are three significant roles of
World Health Organization that can be found in response to cholera epidemic
which are: (1) Coordinating, (2) Facilitating, and (3) Technical Cooperation. With
the presence of these three roles, WHO has optimized its role as an international
organization to overcome cholera disease not only in Haiti but in many countries.
