> Elaine,
>
> Here's my post:
>
> As a former Londoner, I was honoured to be invited to participate in
> Lifepath's Haiti trip.
>
> Arriving in Florida about midnight, I expected to sneak into the hotel
> and meet the group in the morning. They were all up and eating pizza,
> Fatima scurrying around organizing everyone and the staggering amounts
> of supplies, medications, and equipment. As the trip progressed, I
> was flabbergasted by her ability to herd us around like kindergarten
> kids on a field trip. And relieved. It was very nice to be told when
> to get up, where to go, what to do, and who's picking you up -- even
> after having already been told a few times and spaced out about it.
>
> The most astonishing thing about Haiti is not the poverty, devastation
> from the earthquake (apparently, it was not much better before), the
> chronic government corruption and ineptitude, or the often
> self-serving and misguided foreign aid. No, the most amazing was the
> happiness in the people and the kids. They just radiated delight.
> One boy, about 2 years old or so, blind in one eye, just shrieked with
> joy when I hoisted him on my shoulders.
>
> Elaine was phenomenal. When a man reached through the open window as
> we drove, and tore off her necklace, she just shrugged and laughed it
> off. The PTs were a hoot, just up for anything. And, of course, the
> kids adored them.
>
> Dr. Joey and I became immediate friends. Within minutes, we were
> already hatching grandiose plans to change the entire primary health
> structure of the country.
>
> The bottom line is this: Haiti is a typically poor country with
> horrible public health and almost no medical services. The
> international aid has made little difference. Medical relief missions
> come and go, leaving a few people cared for, but there is almost no
> longterm benefit. What is the point of bringing someone medication
> when it runs out a month later? And that is when the medication is
> even appropriate. I found huge piles of donated meds that were near
> expiration and pretty much worthless for the problems people had.
> There were gigantic stocks of furosemide -- a great medication for
> congestive heart failure, but not much use in a country where most
> people are young and thin. On the other hand, there was no ointment
> for infectious eye diseases, which I saw every day.
>
> What Haiti really needs is not more foreign donations or personnel.
> What they need is a home-grown public health and medical corps, with
> suitable supplies and medications. This is surprisingly within reach
> of Elaine's vision for Lifepaths. It is a low-budget program that
> can make a huge and sustainable change. It is not just help, but a
> transformation. That is the plan we -- Dr. Joey, Elaine, Fatima, and
> I -- began to develop. This was an exploratory trip. Now we have a
> very good idea of what is needed -- and I think everyone can hardly
> wait to start creating it.
>
> Paul
>
> Paul M. Gahlinger, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
> President & CEO
> MediCruiser, LLC
> 1850 S, 300 W, Ste A
> Salt Lake City, UT 84115
> ph 801-484-5504