The Port au Prince general hospital is a public facility and, as such, reflects the serious lack of funding seen in road repairs, absence of running water and intermittent electricity.
On entering the hospital, one is struck by the odor of urine. The admitting area was full (8-10 people in beds), another half dozen in chairs. The rest of the facility is composed of 4 large cement
chambers with 24-30 beds.
The beds are a mix of old metal frame structures and newer relief cots. A single sheet covers the bed and the patient lies or sits prostrate, often with 2-3 family members attending. The family will feed, bathe, change linens, empty urine buckets and hold their loved one who attempts to walk, vomit or catch a breath. Most were barely clothed, as it was easily over 90 degrees inside. There was no air conditioning and the electricity was unpredictable, making the place quite dark at times.
At the hospital, we saw severe wasting: men & women bone-thin and frail. Some were near death. The nurses (usually one for the 25+ ill) would change IVs, catheters, insert ports and administer medication. A few physicians we saw making rounds.
There were no TVs, no morphine drips, no heart rate monitors. I saw a single ECG device and two computers. The hospital is in desperate need of supplies and a special request was made of us: to bring back stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs for the nurses and doctors.
Below is an image of the ambulance, with no medical supplies:
So to all my friends in the medical world, I ask that you dig through your old supplies and see if you have a spare stethoscopes. Others, perhaps you or a family member have an automatic arm or wrist cuff you no longer use? Deliver these items to my office in the next two weeks. If you are not local, write me and I'll get you an address for mailing. AWB's last team comes in August to complete training of Haitian medical staff on the use of ear acupuncture. Those cuffs & scopes can come on that trip.
Our wonder team treated under 100 patients, family & staff today, but it was as energetically demanding as in the camp due to the environment. The people were warm, mirthful, curious and kind.
In the last hour a sweet 8 year old boy reached up and grabbed the hand of one our team. His name, Kelly, a son of one of the Hospital staff. We gave him a pen & paper and he drew pictures for us as gifts to take home. He followed us around the hospital, clearly a regular fixture there, and raised our spirits after an emotionally tough day. Life and death, intertwined.
Your journey, their tragedy........really puts life in a whole new perspective!!! Thank you for sharing. It's individuals like you, Rebecca, who remind me how important it is to lend a helping hand and a warm heart.
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