We apologize for the lack of updates coming your way! Our Internet has been having problems with the recent storms surging past, making it difficult for us to post things on here :)
But we now have fair weather, so let the updates go on!!
With the rain comes woe for the clinic. Excessive winds have driven more water inside than normal, soaking things that would ordinarily be ok. I walked in to snap some pictures today and was greeted by a muddy, watery and soupy mixture all over the floor. Anita was in an exam room checking out a patient, and Virginia was taking care of the pharmacy; both had to slop through the water and mud as they worked. A man and his boy were coming out of the exam room- but he had to carry the boy so he wouldn’t get all muddy and wet.
“This is pretty sad,” I was thinking, “Here we are, a medical clinic, and we have to deal with un-sanitary conditions like this each time it rains. People come here to get well, and we can’t provide them with a clean environment because of the roof being the way it is. I can’t wait until we can remodel this place!”
I walked into one of the hospital rooms, noticing a bucket and kivet on the floor and bed. There was water everywhere; on the floor, on the bed, on the table, dripping down the ceiling. It was all damp and wet. Nobody should have to stay in a room like this. The next room wasn’t any better; it too was soaked, as if someone had taken a garden hose and sprayed the whole thing down.
Returning to the hallway, I asked if I could start moping the water up.
“No,” answered Anita, “We usually mop the floor before we start clinic, but we were lacking staff here because of the rain. It will probably rain again soon, so we’d just have to mop it twice. We’ll wait until tomorrow, when the rain's gone.”
It is so unfortunate that everyone has to be subjected to the wet, damp, and unhealthy conditions here; not just the patients, but even more so our staff, who have to work in it all day long. Hopefully once we get everything lined up, we'll be able to start the much-needed remodel.
Imagine going to your family doctor, and having to wade through puddles of water and mud to have your ear checked out… what kind of an experience would that be for you? The Haitians are no less human than the rest of us...
Here are some pictures of the clinic after the rain today:
