- Paley Foundation Team Haiti March 2011
I am now sitting on our AA flight back from Port au Prince reflecting on the past few days events.
Yesterday after two very successful surgeries on the patients mentioned in my last entry, we departed to meet with the Haitian orthopedic community. The one hour car trip to travel 12 miles took two and a half hours in the back of a Tap Tap (a truck with two parallel benches and open at the back). The tap-taps are a not to miss Haitian experience. As the car moved slower than the speed of walking, with start stop jerking through traffic congested, carbon monoxide fume filled, pothole ridden roads we were able to observe PauP during rush hour at the pace of Haitian life. The entire city seemed to be along the sides of the road, oblivious to the mayhem of the slowly moving cars. The sides of the roads are strewn with garbage, frequent open garbage filled canals (maybe sewers) with filthy water interrupted the broken sidewalks. The city is very hilly and we climbed much of the time heading into Pleasantville an affluent part of town. The ride albeit taxing gave us a view of Haitian life across the socio-economic terrain of the city.
To my surprise over 25 Haitian orthopedic surgeons showed up to hear me lecture. While some of them speak English all of them are fluent in French. I therefore gave my lecture in French for the next hour and a half. They do not get much continuing medical education from abroad and they were very grateful to have this unexpected visit. I had the opportunity not only to answer many questions but also to find out about orthopedic surgery and training in Haiti. There is one residency program at the University Hospital. This has been severely disrupted by the earthquake. There was one third year resident present at my lecture. They were very excited at my offer to do further teaching on a regular basis when I return later this year. They especially are interested in learning reconstructive external fixation methods and techniques for correction of deformities.
As many of you know I have set up a 501c3 non profit foundation (The Paley Foundation) for the purpose of sponsoring such mission trips as well as for teaching methods of limb reconstruction and preservation to surgeons from around the world. Our trip to Haiti changed from just being a mission to directly help a few children to the opportunity now to help a much larger cross section of the population indirectly through the hands of the local orthopedic surgeons. Basically the concept of if you give a man a fish you feed a family. If teach a man to fish you feed a village. The contact with the Haitian orthopedic community which was organized by Dr. Terry Deitrich, our host, was completely unexpected and unplanned. The attendance of about half of the countries orthopedic surgeons at this first meeting and the positive response by this group for future meetings has expanded the Paley Foundation mission to Haiti into the realm of teaching. I have long known that as a single surgeon my ability to treat patients is limited by my time. I personally operate on about 700 patients a year between my practice at home and my work abroad. When I teach surgeons at home and abroad I extend that impact to many patients I will never meet and who will never know that I have indirectly touched their lives through the hands of my disciples. I return home knowing that this first mission trip funded by the Paley Foundation was successful at both the direct and indirect impact on patient lives in Haiti.
What about the future. Haiti is a mess. This Sunday is the final runoff election for the new President. After the earthquake, the government and its various offices ceased to function. Many of the government buildings and records were lost. The United Nations has stepped in to maintain order and prevent anarchy. The tent cities remain the homes of nearly a million people. Cholera epidemics have replaced falling buildings as the largest cause of mass population death and Illness. Only 10% of the rubble from the fallen houses have been removed. Reconstruction is sparse and cannot occur if the rubble is not removed. Millions of dollars of aid committed to a year ago are held in escrow until there is a reliable non corrupt government capable of dispersing this aid to the reconstruction of Haiti. Predictions that it will take 20 years until the evidence of the earthquake is no longer seen. What hope is there for this generation of Haitians? It is likely that they will never benefit from the international aid. Haiti, the second democracy in the Americas, the first independent predominantly African origin country in the Americas, and once the richest sugar producing colony of the Americas is now the poorest nation in the Americas. As I wrote last year much of the fault for this rests in the hands of the old colonial powers (France and United States) who forced Haiti to pay a debt it could never afford for over 100 years. It is therefore the responsibility of these nations to invest in Haiti and help the next generation of Haitians leave their subsistence existence and become self sufficient and prosperous. Despite all of this Haitians are a proud people, with the most beautiful sincere smiles. Why is it the people with the least, seem so happy. Perhaps its their Buddhist no expectations so no disappointments philosophy of life. Perhaps that’s my problem in that I have greater expectations for these people and therefore I am disappointed.
I will end this second journey to Haiti with my commitment to return. Dr. Deitrich who is staying till November is keen for me to return for several short 3 day surgery junkets during the rest of his tenure. I am committed to doing so. I live only an hour and a half flight away and hope to return for long weekend visits to do surgery at the Adventist Hospital. In the meanwhile Dr. Deitrich is putting together a surgery waiting list for my return visits. I hope to combine this with seminars for the Haitian orthopedic community each time. I am grateful to Terry and Jeannie Deitrich, the Hopital Adventiste staff for their help in organizing our trip, to the incredible team that came with that donated their time to share in this mission. And to everyone who continues to support the Paley Foundation, it is through your commitment to saving limbs and improving lives that this trip was possible.
Dror Paley, MD
