Day One and Two – Haiti

Today, Wednesday, was my first full day in Haiti, as I arrived yesterday around 1:00 in the afternoon. As I gathered my luggage and passed through customs, I was greeted by the staff of International Medical Corps, the Non-Government Organization that has sent me here, as they escorted me to the van to whisk me away to the Hotel. Unbeknown to me, I was on the plane with several other IMC volunteers, including 3 women from Brooklyn (An MD, NP and RN) who were extremely friendly, and we became quick friends with each other. It was nice to have a few others to share this initial “where the hell am I” experience with.

En Route to our destination, we passed through the streets of downtown Port-Au-Prince and saw first hand aftermath of the January 12th destruction. It is as if the earthquake happened last week. Collapsed buildings, demolished schools and stores, and piles upon piles of rubble is strewn everywhere. We passed by and miles of tarps and metal slabs, called ”tent cities”, that people have fashioned to now call their homes. It’s really jaw dropping…not only to see this unimaginable devastation, but to realize that there is still much destruction as there was 5 months ago. And - there are no clean up efforts in site

We arrived to the Park Plaza Hotel, which is right in the heart of the destruction zone, and has been essentially taken over by expats that have converged on Haiti to volunteer. It is an embarrassingly nice place to stay, and has been virtually unaffected by the January 12th earthquake. What I mean by embarrassing is that it is a little slice of paradise enclosed in a concrete wall, that is surrounded by miles and miles of poverty, tent cities, and destruction. I feel a bit guilty for being put up here, but i appreciate its beauty at the same time. It's probably akin to a 3-star hotel in the states. After we got relatively settled in our rooms, we headed to the hotel pool for a dip in the 90 degree water, that was just slightly cooler than the 100 degree temperature in the air.

I’m in Haiti.

Following an afternoon nap and IMC meeting at 6:00pm, I socialized a bit with my new fellow volunteers, had a delicious Haitian meal, spent a long and unsuccessful attempt at trying to connect to the internet and Skype with Chris, and went to bed exhausted, and excited…

I awoke my first morning in Haiti feeling refreshed and well rested. I skipped the shower, as I knew I was in for a long, hot, and sweaty day. Man alive, was it ever.

I was assigned to work in the ER, to see and treat patients with the other MD. Between the 2 of us, we saw and triaged 60 patients, which I hear is considered to be a slow day. We were booked solid from 7am until we closed the doors at 4. The working conditions are truly abysmal. The stench is horrific. The supplies and resources are frighteningly limited. And the patients are among some of the sickest that I have ever seen. But, they are also some of the most warm, friendly, and grateful patients I have ever seen as well. I think I lost about 10 pounds of sweat, as it reaches over 100 degrees in the hospital. I have yet to pee today…

We are seeing less and less of the injuries from the earthquake, and are now seeing more chronic diseases, and the aftermath of something more devastating than the earthquake itself; a lack of any sort health care system in Haiti. Primary care and preventive medicine are essentially nonexistent, and this government was corrupt even before the earthquake struck. There are very few Haitian nurses in this hospital, as the government stopped paying them last October. It scares me to think that we, the organization running this hospital, will be gone in 12 days, but, it is also amazing to think of the good we have done while we have been here, and I already feel that sentiment from the 10 hours I spent there.

We saw and treated patients straight until 5pm. I personally performed more procedures in one day of work than I have from several years of work back home. I sutured about 10 lacerations, some more complex than others and all of which should have been performed by someone who really knew what they were doing, and performed 3 thoracentesis procedures (draining fluid off of the lungs through a large needle). The great thing about this procedure is that the before and after is quite dramatic and satisfying (patient barely able to breathe, and then following the tap, resting and breathing comfortably). Just about half of the patients we see have TB, and I’m almost certain that I’ll pick it up while I’m here. There is only so much one can do to protect themselves…

All in all, it was an overwhelming day... Mentally and physically. We have no days off, as we work through the weekend, so I know that I have to put my head down and just plow through. I have to say that I let go of a little bit of that guilt, as we came back to a cool air conditioned hotel room, with a swimming pool and a fully stocked bar that serves icy cold beers. It felt good after a long day, and I think I'll appreciate these amenities more and more. There is really no other option than to work long and hard days, and that’s exactly what I came here to do.

More stories and pictures (hopefully) to follow.

I am safe, happy, and will go to bed feeling right about being here.

Love and miss you all.
G