A Broken Country: Haiti
Haiti is a beautiful yet broken country. If someone asked how to describe Haiti this was commonly how others and myself would describe the country. This past October-November, I was given an incredible opportunity to witness and experience Haiti myself. Haiti is deeply enriched in their culture and religion that is truly special. Haiti unfortunately lacks in sanitary, resources, and finances that takes away from Haitians being able to take care of their health. This country has gone through a lot hardship and losses, yet they find strength through God and lean on each other through it. During my experience, it is very obvious how different the healthcare and religion is viewed in Haiti versus the United States.
One of the main purposes of this mission trip was to offer clinics to the community of Croix-des-Bouquets and also to the children of Haiti Lifeline Ministries Orphanage. Over the course of our four days of clinics, we saw approximately fifty people a day. The medical care is desperately wanted and needed. From the devastations from the …show more content…
hurricanes, who wiped out fifty health centers, one being Haiti’s primary teaching hospital, has caused their health care network to severly suffer (USAID). There are still some hospitals and small clinics in Haiti, however, the cost of care is hard for majority of people to pay. Some people cannot make it to the hospital in time due to long distances of travel that some may not be able to pay for as well. One of our patients seen at the clinic told us she walked miles, taking almost half the day, just so her child could get medical attention. Due to these kind of complications, tons of Haitians really depend on free clinics given from organizations like us.
Another concern of Haitians, is the lack of resources. There is a lack of medications and simple healthcare items such as bandages, ibuprofen, or fungal cream for purchase. During my trip, one story has really stuck with me. A Haitian was telling me that is fiancé had surgery done recently to remove her appendix. They had some money to be able to do the procedure. However, the hospital underestimated their amount of supplies they needed for the procedure. During the surgery they realized they did not have enough blood or supplies to finish her surgery. They had to close her up quickly or she would die on their table. Not only did they unsuccessfully perform the procedure but left their patient sicker than she was. This story was bizarre to me. This is very uncommon for Americans to hear of; that would never happen. The United States is rich with resources and has stocked rooms full of supplies for procedures. This story made me realize even though some Haitians have the ability to receive health care from their hospitals or clinics, they still are not meeting the full expectations for health care that should be consider acceptable.
Another area that their health care lacks is the age of their machines, equipment, and technology. Their equipment is mostly outdated due to minimal funds. Since majority of people cannot afford hospital or clinic care, the companies do not have a big income due to the lack of patients seen. This causes less opportunities for the companies to update to the current medicine and equipment that we see in America. For instance, one day we drove by one of Haiti’s hospital located in Port-au-Prince. Since I am currently in the radiology technology program, of course I asked someone if they had equipment to take x-rays. One of my team members actually knew quite a bit about the hospital. She stated that they actually did but the machine is very old school. They still produced x-rays with film and do not have the proper radiation protection equipment as well. To me, that is crazy because at my clinical site in Topeka, we have tons of lead aprons, protective devices, and the best digital imaging system. Hearing that, made me feel so spoiled in my work environment. It also showed that the health care in Haiti is struggling keeping up with the growing and advancements happening in health care.
Not only is there a lack of medical resources and supplies, but also physicians and medical staff.
Due to the lack of medical schools, there are not many doctors in Haiti. There are three medical schools in Haiti. The number of doctors per 100,000 people in Haiti is twenty-five, while in American it is 230 (Health Statistics). There is a huge shortage of physicians. However, that is not the only problem. These physicians are only taught the minimum of what a general doctor needs to know. They are not given the kind of education and experience like American doctors go through. Even though they are educated well, they are still unable to do all procedures and testing that patients need due to lack of education opportunities and resources. Many of the older children in the orphanage even stated their dream is to go to America to receive high education to fulfill their dream job since the opportunity is unavailable in
Haiti.
A huge cause for a lot of sickness and deaths is partially due to the hurricanes that destroyed their country. Haiti keeps getting hit from natural disasters, making it extremely hard for the country to rebuild and get back on their feet. These disasters have made the community and environment very unsanitary and dirty. It was stated, “more than 3 million people in the metro area use outhouses, much of that ends up in canals, ditches and other unsanitary dumping grounds where it can contaminate drinking water and spread disease” (Hersher). There is no trash or water system. Trash is thrown and laying all over and there is lack of access to clean water. These two things lead to diseases and health concerns. Organizations, including Haiti Lifeline, have built wells all around Haiti to help increase access of clean water to the country. There is still a lack of sources for clean water, however, it is slowly improving. Having more of these wells have helped decrease people from getting sick from contaminated water.
The unsanitary environment affects Haitians and the country in many ways. The wildlife in Haiti, such as goats, pigs, and cows, roam around the land that is covered with trash. With the lack of food provided for the animals, they eat anything in site. These animals consume trash everyday. These animals are also a main food source for Haitians. Not only are these animals eating trash and contaminated water, they are not given shots or proper animal care you see done in America. With the combination of the trash eating and lack of animal care, these animals contain a lot of potential diseases or poor health. The meat eaten from their animals most likely does not contain the proper nutrients and with hold contamination. The cycle of food in Haiti could potentially be dangerous for their health. If Haiti’s trash situation does not get under control, it would create even more complications.
Another cause of sickness and health concerns in Haiti is the lack of nutrients and simply not having a proper diet. In other words, most Haitians are starving. One of the main things we treated at our clinic was for worms. Many of the individuals with worms would admit they were eating dirt. Eating dirt so they would not completely starve. Hearing that made me want to cry. Millions of Haitians are struggling feeding themselves and their families, leading to extreme malnutrition and fatigue. In the U.S., even if an individual is homeless or cannot afford groceries we have food banks, food stamps, or food drives for them to not go completely hungry. Haiti does not have any organizations or government services like us to help prevent their people from starving. Some Haitians only support or options is sending their children to orphanages, starving, or depending on organizations from outside of Haiti that provide food support. Unfortunately, several parents decide on sending their children to an orphanage where they know their child will be clothed and feed.
One of the main purposes of this mission trip was to offer clinics to the community of Croix-des-Bouquets and also to the children of Haiti Lifeline Ministries Orphanage. Over the course of our four days of clinics, we saw approximately fifty people a day. The medical care is desperately wanted and needed. From the devastations from the …show more content…
hurricanes, who wiped out fifty health centers, one being Haiti’s primary teaching hospital, has caused their health care network to severly suffer (USAID). There are still some hospitals and small clinics in Haiti, however, the cost of care is hard for majority of people to pay. Some people cannot make it to the hospital in time due to long distances of travel that some may not be able to pay for as well. One of our patients seen at the clinic told us she walked miles, taking almost half the day, just so her child could get medical attention. Due to these kind of complications, tons of Haitians really depend on free clinics given from organizations like us.
Another concern of Haitians, is the lack of resources. There is a lack of medications and simple healthcare items such as bandages, ibuprofen, or fungal cream for purchase. During my trip, one story has really stuck with me. A Haitian was telling me that is fiancé had surgery done recently to remove her appendix. They had some money to be able to do the procedure. However, the hospital underestimated their amount of supplies they needed for the procedure. During the surgery they realized they did not have enough blood or supplies to finish her surgery. They had to close her up quickly or she would die on their table. Not only did they unsuccessfully perform the procedure but left their patient sicker than she was. This story was bizarre to me. This is very uncommon for Americans to hear of; that would never happen. The United States is rich with resources and has stocked rooms full of supplies for procedures. This story made me realize even though some Haitians have the ability to receive health care from their hospitals or clinics, they still are not meeting the full expectations for health care that should be consider acceptable.
Another area that their health care lacks is the age of their machines, equipment, and technology. Their equipment is mostly outdated due to minimal funds. Since majority of people cannot afford hospital or clinic care, the companies do not have a big income due to the lack of patients seen. This causes less opportunities for the companies to update to the current medicine and equipment that we see in America. For instance, one day we drove by one of Haiti’s hospital located in Port-au-Prince. Since I am currently in the radiology technology program, of course I asked someone if they had equipment to take x-rays. One of my team members actually knew quite a bit about the hospital. She stated that they actually did but the machine is very old school. They still produced x-rays with film and do not have the proper radiation protection equipment as well. To me, that is crazy because at my clinical site in Topeka, we have tons of lead aprons, protective devices, and the best digital imaging system. Hearing that, made me feel so spoiled in my work environment. It also showed that the health care in Haiti is struggling keeping up with the growing and advancements happening in health care.
Not only is there a lack of medical resources and supplies, but also physicians and medical staff.
Due to the lack of medical schools, there are not many doctors in Haiti. There are three medical schools in Haiti. The number of doctors per 100,000 people in Haiti is twenty-five, while in American it is 230 (Health Statistics). There is a huge shortage of physicians. However, that is not the only problem. These physicians are only taught the minimum of what a general doctor needs to know. They are not given the kind of education and experience like American doctors go through. Even though they are educated well, they are still unable to do all procedures and testing that patients need due to lack of education opportunities and resources. Many of the older children in the orphanage even stated their dream is to go to America to receive high education to fulfill their dream job since the opportunity is unavailable in
Haiti.
A huge cause for a lot of sickness and deaths is partially due to the hurricanes that destroyed their country. Haiti keeps getting hit from natural disasters, making it extremely hard for the country to rebuild and get back on their feet. These disasters have made the community and environment very unsanitary and dirty. It was stated, “more than 3 million people in the metro area use outhouses, much of that ends up in canals, ditches and other unsanitary dumping grounds where it can contaminate drinking water and spread disease” (Hersher). There is no trash or water system. Trash is thrown and laying all over and there is lack of access to clean water. These two things lead to diseases and health concerns. Organizations, including Haiti Lifeline, have built wells all around Haiti to help increase access of clean water to the country. There is still a lack of sources for clean water, however, it is slowly improving. Having more of these wells have helped decrease people from getting sick from contaminated water.
The unsanitary environment affects Haitians and the country in many ways. The wildlife in Haiti, such as goats, pigs, and cows, roam around the land that is covered with trash. With the lack of food provided for the animals, they eat anything in site. These animals consume trash everyday. These animals are also a main food source for Haitians. Not only are these animals eating trash and contaminated water, they are not given shots or proper animal care you see done in America. With the combination of the trash eating and lack of animal care, these animals contain a lot of potential diseases or poor health. The meat eaten from their animals most likely does not contain the proper nutrients and with hold contamination. The cycle of food in Haiti could potentially be dangerous for their health. If Haiti’s trash situation does not get under control, it would create even more complications.
Another cause of sickness and health concerns in Haiti is the lack of nutrients and simply not having a proper diet. In other words, most Haitians are starving. One of the main things we treated at our clinic was for worms. Many of the individuals with worms would admit they were eating dirt. Eating dirt so they would not completely starve. Hearing that made me want to cry. Millions of Haitians are struggling feeding themselves and their families, leading to extreme malnutrition and fatigue. In the U.S., even if an individual is homeless or cannot afford groceries we have food banks, food stamps, or food drives for them to not go completely hungry. Haiti does not have any organizations or government services like us to help prevent their people from starving. Some Haitians only support or options is sending their children to orphanages, starving, or depending on organizations from outside of Haiti that provide food support. Unfortunately, several parents decide on sending their children to an orphanage where they know their child will be clothed and feed.