Dr. Thony Voltaire

“I was born on the side of the road as my mother went to market in Borgne.” Dr. Thony Voltaire (Dokte Thony) has dedicated his life to the community in which he was born. Dokte Thony has been Medical Director of H.O.P.E. since 2007. In this capacity Dokte Thony has managed the medical and administrative operations of a catchment area of 80,000 inhabitants, the majority of which subsist on less than $2/day. Under his leadership H.O.P.E. has implemented a three-tier health system praised by Paul Farmer and regarded as among the best in rural Haiti. Dokte Thony manages the community hospital in Fond la Grange, the health center in Bertrand, weekly day-long mobile clinics and week-long mobile hospitals in remote areas (only accessible by primitive walking paths) and a network of community health and outreach workers. His current responsibilities include a staff of 140 health and support staff and an annual budget in excess of $2M.

He received his medical degree in Family Medicine from the Univesidad Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina in Cuba in 2006. A brilliant doctor, innovator and tireless advocate for his community, Dokte Thony can be seen regularly riding a motorcycle across a thigh-deep river en-route to a mobile clinic and is equally adept fixing the hospital electrical system or working with a peasant group on new programs as fixing broken bones. With an outstanding background in Public Health, he is passionate about serving his home community. Dokte Thony believes his work is not done until every person in the commune of Borgne has access to top quality medical care. He has been the key leader in H.O.P.E.’s development and is widely loved and respected in the community. At 40 years of age, he feels that he is just beginning his life’s work.