1) AMHE docs with Interfaith Medical Center cover General Hospital, Leogane and Petit Goave
About twelve physicians and nurses visit General Hospital (HUEH) this saturday under the team leader Dr Jacques Guillaume a specialist of Obstetrics and Gynecology. For Internal Medicine, Dr Laurent Bordes a well kown Neurologist has been busy answering consultations and taking care of stroke patients. Psychiatrist Guy Elie went to work at his assigned Tent for Psychiatry. According to Marie Brutus, the nurses performed a lot of wound care. this particular group will also cover the Ebenezer clinic a mile away. They have traveled with materials and supplies.
The second group 18 strong, under the guidance of Dr Schiller Desgrottes past treasurer of the CEC went to Petit Goave to assist a polpulation in need of care. We wish them well.
2) AMHE Medical relief missions run 1-2 week rotations from Saturday to Saturday. Flights are now available directly into Port au Prince. Lodging is at an orphanage at Delmas 75 called The village. Another lodging location will be at the Quisqueya secondary school in Delmas. There will be a minimal fee for accommodation $75.00 US for the week. Even you travel under AMHE, you need to register with the state department at www.travel.state.gov. Specifics are given via conference call two days before departure. To register please go to www.amhe.org.
Expensises can be recouped by filing the form with global givings
3) Assessment of the situation in Haiti
GENERAL OVERVIEW
• More than a month after the earthquake, over 300,000 people are suffering from injuries, but there have been no confirmed outbreaks of diseases.
• Health assessments undertaken so far have revealed that 29 hospitals and other health facilities have been partially damaged or destroyed. With the rainy season approaching, mobile clinics are crucial in order to serve those displaced.
• The humanitarian situation is also gradually improving on a daily basis. Some of the essential infrastructure in Haiti, such as the port, airport, government institutions, electric and telecommunications networks, and roads is beginning to be more operational. However, it is also clear that major unmet humanitarian needs remain, particularly in critical areas such as shelter, other non-food items and sanitation. The government estimates that 97,294 houses were destroyed and 188,383 were damaged across all affected areas.
• The revised UN Flash Appeal was launched on 18 February and will cover programs up to 12 months after the earthquake. The total amount required for the health sector
is US$ 134 million.
§ In consultation with more than 100 humanitarian organizations working in or providing donations to Haiti following the earthquake, PAHO/WHO developed and issued new guidelines on drug donations for Haiti. Basic principles include:
· Drugs donated should be those most needed by Haiti, that is, based on expressed needs;
· Donor countries should offer only medicines acceptable in their countries. Donated drugs should come from reliable sources and meet the quality standards of both donor and recipient countries;
· Drugs should be valid for at least one year from their arrival in Haiti;
· Donations should fully respect the wishes and authority of Haiti’s health officials and should comply with the health polices and administrative procedures existing in that country.
· These and other guidelines on how to be a good donor are available at www.saberdonar.info and www.paho.org/disasters
§ There are 260 registered partners of the Haiti Health Cluster. The work of the Health Cluster has contributed to continuous improvements in coordination of hospital services. Public and private hospitals are beginning to offer services on a regular schedule and health care providers are progressively returning to work;
· The health cluster now meets three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00 pm in the OCHA Tent #1, Logbase. Sub-groups continue to meet according to their own schedules;
· The MSPP is creating an emergency health information cell for emergency and post-emergency actions. It will be located in Petionville, Rue Bornet 41.
§ The Ministry of Health is requesting international organizations operating or wishing to operate in Haiti to obtain accreditation from the Ministry. Accreditation documents are posted on the One Response website.
The Haitian health authorities will sign a memorandum of understanding with agencies working in Haiti for at least six months. A template of the MoU is available at the Health Cluster section of www.oneresponse.info.
• NGOs and other partners are requested to include an element of capacity building in their activities.
• Salary guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health are available at www oneresponse.info. These aim to decrease the salary differentials among organizations and facilitate the handover of operations to the State upon departure of relief agencies.
§ International volunteers and NGOs are leading in providing specialized services through existing local institutions and hospitals established during the emergency;
§ The MSPP, with the assistance of PAHO/WHO, is establishing a clinical coordination centre to improve the patient referral process;
§ The International Organization for Migration is working to provide sufficient tents to house patients from the l’Hopital Defilée de Bedeut, the sole hospital for chronic mental diseases, which was seriously damaged in the earthquake. Since then, most of the 76 patients have slept in the garden with no protection.
§ The Government estimates that over 470,000 people have left Port-au-Prince for outlying departments. Assessments by the MINUSTAH regional offices in the South, Grand Anse, Nippes and the Central Plateau departments confirmed an estimated 15-20 percent increase in the population of the respective departments. Prices of basic commodities, such as rice and sugar, are rising due to the influx of new populations and support to host families is a priority in these areas. Medical institutions are facing a shortage of equipment and stock for emergency care and the number of mobile health centers needs to be expanded, according to MINUSTAH.
§ Health Cluster partners are assessing the internally displaced population’s access to primary health care (PHC) services in the metropolitan area of Port au Prince. The objectives of the assessment are to:
· Determine availability, access to, and capacity of PHC services, including their referral networks, in the “200 largest camps” and surrounding areas in the Port au Prince metropolitan area;
· Classify camps in categories of high, medium and low-no need for immediate action, in terms of provision of PHC services;
· Map camps’ contours and PHC services inside and outside the camps; possibly integrate water and sanitation waypoints in the same maps for planning purposes.
§ The mobile clinics sub-group, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, is developing a strategy to implement a standardized primary health care system through mobile clinics. The strategy takes into account the different needs of the population and includes a strong call for social mobilization and health promotion.
§ IOM is implementing a program to provide comprehensive psychosocial first aid and follow-up counseling to over 150,000 earthquake survivors living in spontaneous settlements in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Immediate support includes group and one-on-one counseling sessions and the provision of recreational activities, such as sport, art therapy and traditional handicraft activities for vulnerable women.
§ An initial needs assessment led the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) and PAHO/WHO to identify four core activities for disability and rehabilitation:
1. Reconstruction of the few specialized service centres that had been available in the country prior to the disaster, and construction of new rehabilitation centres in Port-au-Prince and the provincial capitals;
2. Intensive training of local health staff and provision of expert technical support in all aspects of rehabilitation;
3. Donations of technical equipment for rehabilitation centres;
4. Donations of technical accessories and aids for different types of disabilities.
5. Additionally, mobile clinics will broaden their activities to include the identification and referral of handicapped persons
Since 16 February 2010, 10% (62,533 persons) of the target population in temporary settlements has been vaccinated. The MSPP and NGOs are training additional staff to support the campaign, which is scheduled to end in March
Respiratory infections are the main cause of illness, followed by trauma/injury, diarrhoea and suspected malaria; There have been no confirmed disease outbreaks. The following have been reported:
Two laboratory confirmed cases, one each of typhoid fever and malaria; 8 suspected cases of measles and one suspected case of diphtheria
• Data received from selected IDP camps, not part of the sentinel sites, is showing higher than normal cases of hypertension.
Source/PAHO |