Haiti Relief: Caravans of Injured Are Leaving Capital

Jan. 15, 2010— -- Caravans of the injured traveled the bumpy roads out of Port-au-Prince Thursday looking for hospitals to help treat the victims of Tuesday's earthquake.

Most hospitals in the city were destroyed, or so badly damaged they were evacuated.

"For the last 36 hours we have received over 100 patients from the Port-au-Prince area," said Dr. Ian Rawson, of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti, about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince. "We have about 10 doctors and two surgeons."

The injured often come riding in the back of pick-up trucks, Rawson says. Most are suffering broken bones and "crushing wounds" and some people arrive with unmarked IVs from a clinic in the city. Rawson said families have been waiting patiently outside the hospital for the doctors who call them in using a radio system.

"One by one, when we can get them through the operating room, and starting now we're just beginning to be able to discharge people," said Rawson.

Albert Schweitzer is currently running on its own power generator, and doctors have to ration electricity use in the building to operating rooms and for intermittent Internet use. Rawson said the hospital typically keeps three to six months of supplies on hand, but the staff went through an entire month's supply Wednesday.

But what the hospital needs most at the moment are surgeons.

"We've had a discussion with Doctors Without Borders. They have surgeons and no hospital, and we need surgeons," said Rawson.

Phones and electricity were still down in much of the country Thursday afternoon, making communication between doctors already stationed in Haiti difficult.

"We are now dealing with two countries; one is Port-au-Prince and the rest is Haiti. And all of us outside of Port-au-Prince don't know what is happening," said Rawson.

"What's amazing to us is the resilience of the people of Haiti -- they are the ones who give us the strength to keep going," he said.