On the Ground with Dr Raymond (day 1)

It was obvious as soon as we hit the ground that the amount of progress that I expected to see was not evident. The basic needs did not seem to be met at this time; however, the roads had become passable. We went to visit the medical school which was completely gone along with the support facilities (labs, library, media technology etc.). From there, we visited the University Hospital (general hospital) and saw only four foreign medical staff which seemed inefficient for the number of patients needing attention. Dr Raymond visited with one lady who had a child that was dehydrated with diarrhea and needed intravenous hydration but there was no bed available. He suggested she return home and come back later but she said she no longer had a home to return to so she was willing to just sit and wait. He stayed busy talking with many of the other patients through the afternoon.

Next we toured some of the many tent cities around the area and then called it a day!

Mr. Rogers WELLS.