On Friday October 19, I went with the Network Support Team on my second ever visit to Ft. Liberte. We stopped first at the MSPP office to try to see Dr. Jean Denis Pierre, the Northeast director, but he was out of the country. We were given the chance to have a nice long chat with Msr Alce Estelius, who is an epidemiologist with that office. He was very familiar with things that are going on there that we had wanted to talk about with the director, so it was a valuable meeting.
We had been concerned about capacity with the community expansions in Limonade and Caracol, and found out that there are going to be expansions for the hospitals in Trou du Nord and at Ft. Liberte, and that a new hospital is planned at the junction of the main road with the road to Caracol and Jakzi. We also discussed the new Children's Medical Centre at Danita's Children and agreed to try to work together to help forward the regulatory processes that will be needed.
Our mission of communication, cooperation, collaboration, and coordination was welcome by Msr Esterlius and we invited him to join our Yahoo group and to invite the Network and Network Support Team to the northeast cluster meetings and to send us the minutes to share with the Network.
Next we went to Ft. Liberte Hospital. While the town was quiet, the hospital was hopping, both with patients and visitors coming to speak with the very busy Dr. Decomme, the hospital director. She did make ample time for us to discuss how things are going there and how we can help. We explained about how the hospital can have access to medication and supply distributions, and agreed to work together on sending volunteer medical personnel to the hospital. There were nursing students from Cap working all over the hospital, too.
Dr. Decomme then took us on a tour of most of the hospital and relayed equipment needs that they have. The hospital has 32 beds, and 12 need to be replaced, for example. They have only a few IV poles, and very worn delivery beds. She asked for training on the ultrasound machine they have, and for a refrigerator, and help with improving the electricity situation there. They also need biomed technicians to fix some things, like their infant warmer, and a sterilizer brought there by the Network Support Team (from Direct Relief).
While we were leaving a medication distribution for the hospital, a women about to deliver came to the front of the hospital and looked like she wasn't planning to go any farther and deliver her baby right there! Dr. Decomme directed them to please go down the hall a little way where the delivery nurse and a few nursing students were waiting in the delivery area to take care of them, and the father readily complied, helping the new mother make it to a much better place to have her baby.
On the way back to Cap, we stopped at Haiti Hospital Appeal to bring a laryngoscope and some intubation materials donated by my employer, After Hours Pediatrics, to Dr. Toussaint, who was not there at that time. It is always a pleasure to visit HHA, since they are always adding something new and exciting! Carwyn took us on a tour of all the new areas such as labor and delivery and nursery and pediatrics that are all now functioning, showed the new recovery center that is in advanced construction next to the almost complete operating room, and the new fitness center (pictured). This will be used to help in the rehabiliation programs, and be open for a fee to the community. As you can see, it is first class (and solar powered!)
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