Hours From Epicenter, ‘Secondary Stresses’ for Haitian Hospital

We received an e-mail Wednesday from Ian Rawson, managing director of Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti — a 100-bed referral hospital in central Haiti’s Artibonite Valley three hours north of Port-au-Prince — about what he was witnessing:

We were not affected by the quake – only small tremors. However, since last night we have been inundated by patients, mostly from PauP and mostly with leg and arm, as well as crushing, injuries.

At 20:30, we are still receiving patients who come in the back of tap taps, open-back pickup trucks which serve as taxis throughout Haiti. Every bed, gurney and bench is occupied, and we continue to do lab tests, X-rays and surgeries. Our all-Haitian medical and nursing staff have been excellent, serving without a break for 20 hours

Hari Sreenivasan spoke with him today via Skype:

Rawson also sent along some images from the hospital since the quake:

Patients are cared for inside the hospital’s triage unit as family members wait outside for updates on their condition.

A police vehicle arrives with a quake victim at Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti. The sign on the wall means “reverence for life” — the key philosophy of the hospital’s namesake.

Family members crowd benches outside the hospital waiting to hear how their relatives are doing.

A woman is treated inside the hospital.

All images courtesy Ian Rawson, Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti