After returning home from being in Haiti during the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake, I had to have a minor surgical procedure done to remove pins from my small finger. As the nurse was prepping me for surgery, I suddenly began to sob uncontrollably as images of what I'd just witnessed in Haiti flooded my mind.
Two things hit me in that moment: 1) the thousands of Haitians that suffered life-threatening injuries did not get near the level of treatment that I was getting for a broken finger and 2) how difficult it must be for U.S. doctors serving in Haiti to be unable to treat their patients with the standard of care they are accustomed to in the U.S. healthcare system.
I went to Haiti with MedShare two weeks after the earthquake to capture the medical situation, and learn how MedShare can help improve the quality of healthcare in Haiti through providing medical supplies and equipment. MedShare is a national nonprofit organization that recovers and redistributes surplus medical supplies from U.S. hospitals and medical companies to those in need. They immediately responded to the dire need for medical supplies in Haiti following the earthquake and since then have shipped over 75 tons of requested supplies.
During my time in Haiti, I visited hospitals and clinics throughout Port-au-Prince, interviewing patients, volunteer nurses and doctors, Haitian medical practitioners and hospital administrators. One of the things I learned from many of the Haitians I spoke with is that Haiti is not that different now than it was before the earthquake. The earthquake has only added to and exemplified the needs that have existed in Haiti for years, healthcare being one of them.
The USNS Comfort may have picked up its anchors, but the health needs are still exponential. Hospital triage lines are still hundreds of people long. Many Haitians are flocking to the hospitals seeking treatment for serious medical conditions that existed before the earthquake. Until the earthquake happened and humanitarian workers rushed in, most Haitians could not afford medical treatment. Doctors are not treating as many earthquake trauma injuries, but the various medical problems they are seeing are still a result of the earthquake.
There have been billions of dollars committed by the UN and various NGOs to the rebuilding of Haiti, and healthcare must remain a top priority. The rainy season has arrived, and with millions living in unsanitary conditions, bacterial infections and diseases are being born. Without quality healthcare, the Haitian people will die of treatable illnesses, such as pneumonia, cholera, malaria and diarrhea. It would be a great injustice to see another wave of preventable deaths occur.
However, no matter how much money invested, there also must be strong leadership in Haiti to successfully rebuild a sustainable healthcare system. MedShare has identified several hospitals that have the leadership and operational capacity to provide quality healthcare, if only provided the adequate resources. They identify and forecast their medical needs and develop solutions, and MedShare works with them to implement those needs.
As thousands of governments, organizations and people around the world unite to rebuild Haiti, we must strive to build a quality healthcare system to give the people the medical treatment they deserve, and prevent any more unnecessary deaths.
Face the State:
The drug business is just like any other--money is the motivating factor, pure and simple. And the state of Colorado is proving to be an excellent broker. So far this fiscal year, the state has pulled down nearly $3.4 million in medical marijuana registration fees and is on track to reap $11 million total by July. That's because every Coloradan who wants to obtain a medical marijuana permit has to shell out $90 per application, and that kind of money piles up quickly.
Read the whole story: Face the State
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