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Makeshift medical facilities treat wounded but transport infrastructure slows essential supplies and staff

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Blockages at the airport affecting the ability to move people and freight quickly.

At least 1,500 patients have been treated so far at MSF locations. Teams are seeing patients pour in. All teams are doing their best in terms of administering first aid, but surgery needs are huge. One major impediment to date has to do with blockages at the airport affecting the ability to move people and freight quickly.

All of the MSF's existing three medical facilities in the capital have been partially damaged: a health centre in Martissant slum, the Trinity trauma centre (60 beds), the Solidarité maternity hospital (a 75-bed emergency obstetric facility). Most patients have been treated in tented clinics that MSF assembled near to our existing medical facilities that were themselves damaged. MSF staff have reported that more than 300 patients in need of surgery have been transferred from Martissant to Choscal Hospital in Cite Soleil, where they were preparing to start doing surgery soon.

MSF staff are working out of Choscal Hospital in Cite Soleil providing stabilization care to the wounded. Materials and equipment have been salvaged from the damaged Maternité Solidarité hospital and patients are being treated in the parking lot. Teams are currently evaluating two new locations inside Haiti to restart surgical and emergency care. Two large obstetric referral hospitals where MSF used to refer patients have collapsed.

An MSF team will start evaluating other needs and are looking to assess the Carrefour area by foot. This area is difficult to access and very seriously affected by the earthquake. MSF has been to Trinite Hospital and was able to gather supplies and have set up a tented clinic using the grounds of the pharmacy. We found a site in Petionville and will be able to set up an operating block in the next 48 hours. The plan is to keep the first tented sites for basic first aid and care and use the new site for the many patients who need surgery.

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Haiti
Project Update 15 July 2010