Prior to the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, SIGN had programs in 3 different Haitian hospitals and approximately 20 surgeons trained in the SIGN technique working in Haiti. At the time of this writing, nearly 4 weeks after the earthquake, we have only heard from 2 of those 20.
A plan is needed for rebuilding orthopaedic capacity in Haiti!
The discussion paper above is intended to illicit discussion and conversation as to how best to respond to this need. SIGN’s hope is that a leader will arise to take over the different aspects of the plan. We will keep a running dialogue here in this blog as new ideas and information are discovered.
Please share freely your ideas, insights and thoughts by using the comment link below.
Kudos to the great work SIGN has done on the ground from the earliest days of this disaster. Only an organization with this depth of experience in prior disasters could muster a response this quickly and this appropriately. As I've followed the various blogs and heard feedback from the field, one thing comes to mind again and again. "Earthquakes don't kill people. Buildings falling on people kills people." This statement came from Tracey Kidder, author of "Mountains beyond Mountains." When the same magnitude earthquak struck a similar sized city, San Francisco, a total of 36 people died! The catastrophe in Haiti is not the earthquake, it is the long history of colonial occupation, enslavement, manipulation by US foreign policy, that has led to perpetual poverty and dependence. The only thing I saw lacking in the discussion document is a way out of this cycle of dependency. In particular, this new center needs to be staffed by almost exclusively Haitian staff and surgeons. Foreigners need to be present, but at the most minimal level to provide education to Haitian surgeons. Otherwise, the unintended consequence is to deepen the cyle of dependency. SIGN has been partnering with MTI and World Relief in Haiti. WR is one of the global leaders in the theory and practice of instituting programs which break rather than foster dependency. As orthopedic surgeons, we don't understand the intricacies of international development, and need to humble ourselves to development agencies such as World Relief to learn how to do this right. My hats off to the hundreds of orthopedic surgeons who have already provided life and limb saving care in Haiti. I'll be going over March 5 to serve in the U.of Miami field hospital at PaP airport. I'd appreciate any advice/caution/equipment needs from anyone who's been there in the last week or so. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteMichael L. Mara MD
Bend, OR
michael_mara@hotmail.com