My dear friend Jenny, an ER nurse, is in Haiti right now doing triage work. She just sent out this email update from the ground that describes what the medical situation is like there.
I didn’t realize that Haiti had never had an ER until we arrived in January. It started out in tents, but we have since moved into a building and are hoping to keep the ER going after we pull out in one month. Honestly, it doesn’t seem feasible because we’re still running the majority of the unit. The Haitian MDs and RNs are wonderful to work with, but most of them don’t show up to work. They haven’t been paid by the government in four months and many of them lost their homes. So actually, I think they’re angels for even showing up.
Everyday, we get to work at 7am and work until 5 or 7 depending on the volunteers we have. I’ve been doing triage, which has been tough. We turn away a lot of people because we don’t have the techonology to treat a heart attack or stroke. Or, we bring the patient in and watch them until they pass. The Haitian families are very caring and a lot of times, I’ll see one family member take care of a different patient if they’re alone. A priest walks around and prays, so we’ll here them singing hymns during work. Other Haitians believe in voodoo, so we’ll hear chanting and some form of blessing.
When I first arrived, I spent the first two days learning my way around and soaking everything in. On the third day, I spent the day tearing up in between patients and broke down at night. It’s been really hard to see people carrying in their family members in desparation only to have us tell them we can’t help for one reason or another. Or treating illnesses that just don’t happen in the States because we have vaccinations or access to healthcare. In a lot of ways, I’m thankful I don’t understand French or Creole. The interpreters are the ones giving the bad news.
A few days ago, we did have a success story. A young guy came in with a head injury that would be treatable if he had a neurosurgeon. Haiti doesn’t have one, so we spent the evening looking for a country that would take him. The next morning, we were able to fly him by helicopter to the Dominican Republic. I hope he’s doing better now; at least he was given a chance. Last night, all the Haitian MDs and RNs showed up to work for the evening, so we were able to pass on report and continue treatment for the really sick patients.
Big picture wise, I think we’re making progress. I’m safe since I can’t leave the hotel or hospital. They feed us well at night and I haven’t gotten sick yet. The other volunteers are great people of all ages, and some are returning volunteers who say that it’s gotten much better here.
Jenny will be back next week, so hopefully we’ll have another update and some photos then.