The medical team from I.S.A.R. Germany and the Humanitarian Aid department of the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs treated over 800 patients following the severe earthquake in Haiti. "The mission on the island of Les Cayemites was a great success," said the team's medical director Henri Paletta after the team returned to Cologne/Bonn Airport on Thursday morning. "We were able to help people in need thanks to our rapid deployment." The earthquake hit one of the poorest countries in the world. Due to the large number of injured people, the already ailing healthcare system was completely overwhelmed.
I.S.A.R Germany and BRH were deployed in Haiti with a so-called Emergency Medical Team (EMT1). EMT 1 means that the treatment of patients can be guaranteed in a field-based emergency room with several medical specialities. The EMT has been certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 2018. The EMT consisted of 35 members, including doctors, nursing staff and paramedics. It also included a construction consultant, a water treatment expert and logisticians.
Head of Operations Michael Lesmeister pointed out the enormous logistical challenges for the team. "The team had to stow their eleven tonnes of equipment on a ship in extreme heat of more than 35 degrees Celsius in order to transport it to the island of Les Cayemitis. As the ship could not dock on the island, the only option was to transport it by small fishing boat." In addition to the medical equipment, the equipment also included tents, generators and a water treatment plant.
Medical help urgently needed
The medics on the German team were confronted with a wide variety of injury patterns and illnesses on the island. They ranged from broken arms and legs to major open wounds and severe burns. The injuries were sustained during the severe earthquake on 14 August 2021. "The medical system in Haiti was completely overwhelmed by the mass influx of injured people," reports Henri Paletta. "The people on the island have not received proper medical care for many years. Added to this is the lack of food and drinking water". As a result, many patients had to be treated for illnesses caused by the abject poverty and poor hygienic conditions. These included, in particular, gastrointestinal diseases, skin diseases and various infections.
"Mother and child module" in use
Among the patients were over 200 children and over 90 pregnant women. During the mission on the island of Les Cayemites, two women gave birth in the German team's field hospital. They were cared for by midwife Kay Saskia Beckmann, among others. "The conditions for pregnant women on the island are poor," says Beckmann. "The people are really desperately poor and can barely afford medical help, if it is available at all." The birth of the two children in the field hospital showed just how important good medical care is. "As the children were not in an optimal position during the pregnancy, we were able to help quickly with our medical team and contribute to the two boys, Michael and Christian, being born healthy," reports the midwife.
Parts of the new "Mother and Child Module" were also used for the first time in Haiti. This has special equipment to provide medical care for pregnant women, newborns and infants, such as obstetric equipment, special medicines for children and infant formula. The module was developed on the basis of experience gained from numerous disaster operations. It had been shown time and again that hardly any specialised medical treatment was available for pregnant women, newborns and infants after disasters. The "Mother and Child" module can close this gap in care.
Helping people to help themselves
The Haitian nurse working on the island was closely involved in the team's work. This ensured a great transfer of knowledge, which will ensure that the people on the island continue to benefit from the mission in the future. Some of the German team's equipment was also handed over to the island's small infirmary to ensure better medical care for the residents in the long term. This also includes medicines, plaster bandages, dressings and disinfectants. In cooperation with the nurse, it was also possible to ensure the further treatment of patients who received initial treatment from the German team.
Parallel to the mission in Haiti, talks were held with the Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti in Germany. It was agreed to promote further humanitarian projects in Haiti in the medium term. The training and further training of rescue workers was also suggested.