PTPI Blog

Here’s the latest from Susan W. Sayers, Director of Institutional Development at Partners In Health(PIH):

January 26, 2010 update from Haiti:

• Having returned to Boston from Haiti on Saturday, PIH Medical Director Dr. Joia Mukherjee held a press conference call today.  Stressing the need to strengthen the health systems through the public sector, she answered questions about topics ranging from PIH’s response to women’s health needs to the monumental task of resettling millions of homeless people before the rainy season begins in April.  Dr. Mukherjee also stated that the time has come to change the model of emergency aid from to one in which resources—financial and material—remain in country long after relief workers had left.  “Haiti’s strength is in her people,” she explained, going on to say that long term investment in local institutions and individuals was the only way to rebuild the country.

• Reverse migration continues to be of great concern as earthquake survivors flee the rubble of Port-au-Prince for the countryside; indeed the Government of Haiti is now encouraging residents of the capital city to take refuge in other parts of the country.  PIH is already seeing this influx in our catchment area in the Central Plateau and Artibonite.  Writing from one of the PIH facilities in the Lower Artibonite PIH co-founder and Executive Director Ophelia Dahl noted, “Important to note that as all the surgery, casting and x raying was going on, the courtyard was filled with at least 200-300 patients. Doctors were seeing them, as always. The nutrition program was taking place with mothers and babies sitting waiting for their children to be seen and weighed.” Our program to detect and treat pediatric malnutrition is just one of many that PIH will need to scale up significantly to meet particular needs of this extremely vulnerable displaced population.

• While we are beginning to focus more attention on long-term recovery and rebuilding plans, we are still dedicating enormous energy to the immediate needs of quake survivors.   Writing from Cange, Ophelia reported, “Yesterday two spinal patients were evacuated from Cange to the USNS Comfort. They were prepped here, put in traction to prevent any movement and then driven down slowly.” We also continue to have a steady flow of supplies and volunteers.  Nine anesthesia machines arrived in Port-au-Prince this morning, and a donated dialysis machine is being shipped from Dallas via Miami.

• Dr. Mark Hyman, a volunteer surgeon who connected with PIH in the hours following the earthquake and has been working out of the University Hospital (HUEH) with Dr. Evan Lyon and others, was interviewed this morning on CNN’s American Morning.  You can watch the video here: American Morning CNN