After the earthquake that hit southern Haiti on Aug. 14, delayed arrivals pose serious consequences for incoming patients. Dr. Donald Amazan is working alongside Humanity & Inclusion to treat injured Haitians.
Deliver emergency aid to Haiti
Dr. Donald Amazan is a general practitioner at Hôpital Immaculé Conception (HIC) in Les Cayes. Since the hospital was damaged during the earthquake, Dr. Amazan is stationed in the pediatric tent outside in blistering heat.
"A lot of children were hurt in the earthquake,” says Dr. Amazan. “It may have been a few weeks ago, but here it still feels so fresh. People were traumatized, so they didn't come to the hospital right away, and now when they arrive, the wounds are very infected and in serious condition."
Delayed arrival continues to be one of the greatest problems in the hospitals where Humanity & Inclusion and its partner team of physical therapists are working.
"In the last few days, I have seen four amputations in pediatrics alone,” Dr. Amazan says. “We try to avoid it at all costs, but the situation is serious and we had to amputate to save their lives."
Dr. Amazan and his colleagues are working hard to provide initial medical treatment for their patients, but he stresses the importance of Humanity & Inclusion’s complementary care.
"It is so important that we have rehabilitation experts here,” he explains. “I myself have been asking for this service for so long, and now the need is greater than ever. The patients need pre-operative, post-operative and long-term care in order for the treatment to be a success."
Humanity & Inclusion and its partner FONTEN have recruited and trained a group of 7 physical therapists to reinforce capacity in two hospitals and a rehabilitation center in Les Cayes. They began working with patients in August and will continue to provide physical therapy as part of their emergency response to the crisis.