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- Jul 22, 2008
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Just spent a week in Haiti and wanted to share a little bit of the experience.
Despite the earthquake being about 2 months ago, still seemed like it could have been a week or two ago but the appearance of Port-au-Prince. Streets are passable, but debris still line them, building still unsafely standing semi-erect. Occasional smell of what likely is decaying bodies when you drive past some rubble. People (barely) living, in tents if they are lucky, or shanties made from debris. Some people bath their children in the streets, people lining up to fill their buckets with unfiltered water, likely for drinking, as the lines for trucked in water is long. People spend the days on the streets, too hot to stay in tents, some try to sell stuff, but people are only buying food. The presidential palace is collapsed, yet the front lawn remains manicured, and secured by 3 officers.
HUEH - general hospital is a series of tents, American physicians and nurses do much of the 'active' staffing, Haitian medical staff, probably overwhelmed after 2 months of this aftermath, seem fatigued, and psychologically beaten. Trying to muster their efforts is challenging.
I worked near the airport at a field hospital with Medishare. A little out of the way for the general populace. High quality care by Haiti standards by American/Canadian physicians, but limited to xrays, cbcs/BMPs; however when I was there, had a some great consultants available - ortho, neurosurgery, plastics, wound specialists.
Anyhow, just needed to share a little. Incredibly overwhelming and defeating; what we provide is just a drop in the bucket, but hopefully helped a few people's lives.
If anybody is interested...definitely an eye opening experience; IMC and Medishare are the bigger groups I've come across, pretty different experiences.
Despite the earthquake being about 2 months ago, still seemed like it could have been a week or two ago but the appearance of Port-au-Prince. Streets are passable, but debris still line them, building still unsafely standing semi-erect. Occasional smell of what likely is decaying bodies when you drive past some rubble. People (barely) living, in tents if they are lucky, or shanties made from debris. Some people bath their children in the streets, people lining up to fill their buckets with unfiltered water, likely for drinking, as the lines for trucked in water is long. People spend the days on the streets, too hot to stay in tents, some try to sell stuff, but people are only buying food. The presidential palace is collapsed, yet the front lawn remains manicured, and secured by 3 officers.
HUEH - general hospital is a series of tents, American physicians and nurses do much of the 'active' staffing, Haitian medical staff, probably overwhelmed after 2 months of this aftermath, seem fatigued, and psychologically beaten. Trying to muster their efforts is challenging.
I worked near the airport at a field hospital with Medishare. A little out of the way for the general populace. High quality care by Haiti standards by American/Canadian physicians, but limited to xrays, cbcs/BMPs; however when I was there, had a some great consultants available - ortho, neurosurgery, plastics, wound specialists.
Anyhow, just needed to share a little. Incredibly overwhelming and defeating; what we provide is just a drop in the bucket, but hopefully helped a few people's lives.
If anybody is interested...definitely an eye opening experience; IMC and Medishare are the bigger groups I've come across, pretty different experiences.
