How the Other Half Lives in Haiti

​BY TIM DEPP, MD​Arriving in Port-au-Prince was like walking into another world. It was hot. The roads were dusty. In spite of reports of aid money being siphoned off and how little progress was being made in rebuilding, the parts of the city we drove through appeared improved since the earthquake. My first impressions of the city were positive, especially considering what I was expecting.Despite Haiti's long and difficult history of slavery, revolution, poverty, violent dictators, overwhelming debt, failed development projects, deforestation, and natural disasters, including the earthquake of 2010 and the cholera epidemic introduced by the United Nations in 2016, Haitians demonstrate a great deal of pride. But still, they were surviving at the edge of survivability.The Haitian community struggled with a significant lack of medical resources. Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-Au-Prince is considered by many to be the best hospital in the country (with access to a CT scanner and specialists, including neurosurgeons). But profound challenges remain. With the grants and other funding for earthquake relief now drying up, the hospital had been forced to shift to a fee-for-service system. Unfortunately, for many people in Haiti, this puts care beyond their reach.Individuals with symptoms concerning for acute MI may be unable to get an ECG until they pay at the registrar and return with a receipt. A man with a closed head injury may be unable to receive a head CT before his family p...
Source: Going Global - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs