The pile up of medical supplies at Haiti's international airport has
not affected the Jamaican medical team in the earthquake ravaged country.
The international media has been reporting that the stockpile continues despite the suffering of injured and dying Haitians.
But on Friday morning the head of Jamaica's medical team in Haiti Dr. Derrick McDowell told RJR News his team has managed to make a huge difference.
With media outlets such as the CNN showing in dramatic fashion the continued pile up of supplies at the airport yet to reach Haitians, concern has been mounting that red tape and beauracracy are contributing to Haiti's death toll.
Speaking with our news team Dr. McDowell while conceding that a mangled infrastructure has made his team's job harder, it has managed to maintain an efficiently run hospital.
"We were running short on sterile material yesterday so I went to the American field hospital to ask them to help us with some supplies but they were out. I went to the Russian hospital and they were out as well,"
"Luckily for us an American group came in and joined up with our group and they had a lot of sterile supplies. We were never down, but the flashing red light is now off. We are still up and running full tilt," Dr. McDowell said.
He says his team has not only been treating injuries but also offering comfort and hope to traumatised Haitians.
He said that his team handles many cases where limbs are crushed and infected wounds.
"There is an orthopedic hospital where we do orthopedic surgeries where we reconstruct limbs and save limbs. There is also what we call a hope train where a medical worker gives out supplies and offer hope to the people in the different areas," he said.
On Thursday Director of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services Dr. Marion Bullock Ducasse said the public health personnel will join those from the Jamaica Defence Forcein Haiti.
And Dr. McDowell said his team has had to be creative to deal with the language barrier in the country.
The first tongue of most Haitians is French Creole.
The physician says his team has found ways to deal with this.
"We have found some locals who speak English and French...The best ones go into the operating theatres so that the doctors get the patient's consent...based on the zone in the hospital we know how good they are at communicating," he said.
The international media has been reporting that the stockpile continues despite the suffering of injured and dying Haitians.
But on Friday morning the head of Jamaica's medical team in Haiti Dr. Derrick McDowell told RJR News his team has managed to make a huge difference.
With media outlets such as the CNN showing in dramatic fashion the continued pile up of supplies at the airport yet to reach Haitians, concern has been mounting that red tape and beauracracy are contributing to Haiti's death toll.
Speaking with our news team Dr. McDowell while conceding that a mangled infrastructure has made his team's job harder, it has managed to maintain an efficiently run hospital.
"We were running short on sterile material yesterday so I went to the American field hospital to ask them to help us with some supplies but they were out. I went to the Russian hospital and they were out as well,"
"Luckily for us an American group came in and joined up with our group and they had a lot of sterile supplies. We were never down, but the flashing red light is now off. We are still up and running full tilt," Dr. McDowell said.
He says his team has not only been treating injuries but also offering comfort and hope to traumatised Haitians.
He said that his team handles many cases where limbs are crushed and infected wounds.
"There is an orthopedic hospital where we do orthopedic surgeries where we reconstruct limbs and save limbs. There is also what we call a hope train where a medical worker gives out supplies and offer hope to the people in the different areas," he said.
On Thursday Director of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services Dr. Marion Bullock Ducasse said the public health personnel will join those from the Jamaica Defence Forcein Haiti.
And Dr. McDowell said his team has had to be creative to deal with the language barrier in the country.
The first tongue of most Haitians is French Creole.
The physician says his team has found ways to deal with this.
"We have found some locals who speak English and French...The best ones go into the operating theatres so that the doctors get the patient's consent...based on the zone in the hospital we know how good they are at communicating," he said.
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