John and I have just returned from HSC where we spent two weeks, with John doing some inspection on the renovation process and I spent my time working in the guesthouse and looking around the hospital. While the renovation isn't finished yet, and some things are still hung up in customs, we were gratified at what we saw going on at HSC.
To begin with, the hospital seems to be functioning well medically. There were about 20 in-patients there, and the day clinic was seeing 80 or so patients every day. There was also a group there, from Oxford, MS, (1) doing mobile clinics (2), working in the clinic and hospital (3), and visiting and working building a wall at an orphanage. One of the docs assisted in a hysterectomy, and followed the patient with the Haitian surgeon, and he was pleased with the level of medical care the patients were receiving. The doctors were doing daily rounds and charting the patients. Nurses were taking vitals at every shift change, noting urine output when necessary, and in general not sitting around. The patients were receiving meds as part of their hospital fees (200 gdes/day). There were sheets on the beds (The nurses are responsible for making sure the sheets don't disappear with the patients, as happened with all of the early patients. Some of the crib mattresses also disappeared, but that seems to have stopped with the nurses being responsible for the supplies.). Food is being brought in by the patients' families, but all food must be eaten before 7:00 pm when the rooms are mopped, and no room is allowed overnight at the hospital. There are screens on the windows, and bed nets on each bed. The laboratory is working, and the ER is staffed with a doctor with disposable paper lab coats being used as sheets on the gurneys. There are plenty of paper lab coats that showed up after the earthquake, probably enough for at least several years.
The word is that Fred Butler is hoping to get the eye clinic cleaned and resupplied, and open sometime this spring. The plans are to move the dental clinic from the third story of the hospital to the eye clinic building, and staff it with a local dentist who has worked with several groups this year and received good reviews from the visiting dentists. Both services are badly needed in Haiti and Leogane, and will bring back most of the former functions of the hospital. But there is no talk of starting a hypertension clinic, which several visiting groups have suggested. Those of you who know Zo (Joseph, the man who took care of the generators) will be sad to know that he had a stroke the week before we arrived. He is recovering, and getting around, but slowed considerably, and seems to be having short term memory problems as a result.
The renovation is coming along. All of the windows in the 3 story building have been replaced with closing and locking tilt out windows, which do a great job of blocking out the street noise and the noise from the loud bar on the corner. There is still a lot of minor electrical work to be done, and one generator is still in customs. (The story is that when the government changed, the new customs director was working in his office when a gang of armed thugs came in and took over, so the old director could re-occupy the building. Haiti's government is probably best described as `fluid'). Everything has a new coat of paint, the water is on, and the toilets all work. The water pressure is strong enough to get to the 2nd floor, where the guesthouse is. When the a/c's get out of customs, all the rooms will get one. The renovations are supposed to be finished the middle of December, and if things get out of customs as expected, the job might not finish too much after that date.
When a pole hasn't been pushed over by a truck between Leogane and the generators in PAP, we seem to have power during the evening hours, from about 7:00 to 7:00. But the voltage fluctuations are frequent and enormous. The ceiling fans go from stopped to sounding like and airplane. It doesn't sound good for the longevity of the a/c units. My suggestion is for everyone to come soon, before they start breaking from the voltage problems at night.
Security has been improved. Only one member of the family is allowed in to be with the patient. Albert has put deadbolts on all the doors of the guesthouse. When there is a group, there is a member of the hospital staff that sleeps at the door of the guesthouse. Now that the windows close and lock, and since the person who stole the passports was caught and the person who stole John's computer was caught, the thefts seem to have stopped. But we are still advising real diligence on the part of the visitors. Even with all the Tecina workers who are doing the renovations moving things in and out of the drug room, the scrubs room and the depot, nothing seems to have walked. Things may be getting better.
The car situation is another matter entirely. It is still horrible. John and I went to town in the land cruiser a few days ago, and no amount of beating with a rock on the battery cables would get the car to start. Fortunately, we were parked on a hill and Belange jump started it in second gear (That car has no first gear right now.) The other land cruiser is being robbed of parts to keep the first one running. The big truck is working OK, and the Nissan is doing OK. But there aren't enough cars to go around. Thanks to John Talbird's contribution, two new double cab pickups have been bought, and when (if? - $7000 for both) they get out of customs perhaps the problem with the cars will be solved.
What are the needs today for the hospital and guesthouse? Both the hospital and the guesthouse need sheets and towels. The water pump is on its last legs. A new motor ($1000) will perhaps fix it, but it might need a whole new pump ($2,000). The lab and the OR at least could use some kind of voltage regulator to save the lives of the medical equipment. A technician would be a real asset to the hospital. I did a survey of all the medical equipment for a new project that a friend of mine is doing – see rxdonate.com – and more than half of the equipment needs repair or replacement. When you bring a group down, try to find a medical technician to come with you.
Bob and Robin Sloane are scheduled to come down as guesthouse coordinators in January. I think by then, the hospital and guesthouse will be ready for you. Dr. Gladys is very anxious for people who come to work in the hospital and teach the Haitian employees. This is a change from what we saw in 2003 when we were there, and a very welcome one.
We don't know what the long term prospects for HSC are, but right now, it seems to be treating the sick, helping the lame to walk, etc, and we are praising God and Dr. Gladys for that. While infrastructure problems remain, and political problems are always with us, we are encouraged at what we have seen going on now.