ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the possibilities and limits of clinical interventions in the context of colonial and neo-colonial structures of harm in Haiti. First, through the story of one boy with a congenital heart condition, the chapter explores how historical formations continue to impact present day health conditions in the country. Then, drawing on a postcolonial analysis, the chapter considers the role of technical interventions of the type often offered by non-governmental organizations—managerial, bureaucratic, clinical—in rectifying health inequities. Ultimately, this chapter inspires critical thinking about ways to engage as global health clinicians and political advocates, and the slippery slopes intrinsic to global health work: that charitable interventions may at once save lives but at the same time obscure ongoing sources of global health inequities.
