Around a week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, a German Emergency Medical Team has begun its work in the disaster region. The team was sent to the earthquake region by the aid organisation I.S.A.R. Germany and the Humanitarian Aid department of the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs in coordination with the Haitian Civil Defence. At the request of the authorities, the medics are working on the island of Les Cayemites. The doctors, nurses and paramedics are now treating the injured and sick every day in a field hospital.
Doctors from I.S.A.R. Germany treating a patient in Haiti
Team leader Michael Lesmeister describes the situation on the island as "dramatic". "Numerous buildings collapsed in the earthquake. Many people were injured." In addition, there had been no doctor on the island for many years before the earthquake to care for the approximately 18,000 inhabitants. As a result, there is also a great need for medical care in general. "It is a great challenge for us to triage the masses of people, i.e. to prioritise the order of treatment." The tasks for the German doctors are complex. Broken bones and flesh wounds have to be treated, but there are also gynaecological and internal medicine emergencies.
Due to the difficult accessibility of the island, the team of around 35 people had to be transported by ship from Port-au-Prince to the site. The approximately eleven tonnes of material were then brought to the island from the anchorage using fishing boats. "The situation and the circumstances on the island are a challenge for us," says Lesmeister. Nevertheless, the team is highly motivated and happy to finally be able to help. With regard to the security situation, Lesmeister explained: "The situation in Haiti is extremely tense due to the great poverty and the political situation. We know of other aid workers who were themselves under threat, even though they had come to be there for the people. The team from Germany is therefore being protected around the clock by a security team from the German company MP Protection.