Medical team from Germany starts work in Haiti after earthquake

"The situation on the island is dramatic," reports team leader Michael Lesmeister. "Numerous buildings have collapsed, many people are injured and have been left with nothing." Michal Lesmeister goes on to report that medical care on the island, which is difficult to reach, was already extremely poor before the earthquake and that no doctor had been on site for several years before.

This situation and the earthquake resulted in an urgent need for medical care. This poses a special challenge for the emergency team from Germany, as they need to take great care in prioritizing the order of treatment due to the large number of people seeking help. Not only broken bones, burns and flesh wounds need treatment; medical care for gynecological and internal medicine emergencies was also urgently needed right from the beginning.

The island of Les Cayemites is difficult to reach and not accessible by large aircraft. This meant that the German emergency team had to be taken to the scene by boats from Port-au-Prince. In addition to the 35-member team, eleven tons of medical supplies were brought to Les Cayemites by fishing boats.

Despite the numerous challenges the team had to overcome, they are highly motivated, Michael Lesmeister tells us. "Now we are happy that we can finally help".

Referring to the security situation, Lesmeister stated: "The situation in Haiti is highly tense due to the great poverty and the political situation. We know of other helpers who have been confronted with personal threats, although they had come to be there for the people." The team from Germany will therefore be protected around the clock by a security team from the company MP Protection from Germany.