Konbit Sante Sends Ninth Medical Shipment to Haiti:
On Saturday, April 19, Konbit Sante volunteers loaded and shipped its ninth 40’ sea container of medical equipment and supplies to Cap-Haitien, Haiti. What’s in the container?
- A GE portable x-ray machine donated by Maine Medical Center. This machine is in excellent working condition, but isn’t compatible with the newer digital imaging technology needed here. This machine is perfect for Haiti because it’s a work horse and can function when there is no public power. Along with the x-ray machine, we’re shipping a supply of x-ray film, generously donated by Kodak.
- Three pallets of Purell hand sanitizer donated by GOJO Industries of Akron, Ohio.
- Medical exam room and office furnishings donated by Maine Medical Center, PrimeCare, and the YWCA.
- Piping and other materials for major water system improvements at the Justinian Hospital where there is currently little clean water for staff or patients. These materials were purchased with donations from Maine and New Hampshire Rotary Clubs and GlobalGiving.org.
- Staples in the shipments include badly-needed bandages, sutures, gowns, gloves, and other medical supplies.
Spaces to store materials and stage this shipment were generously donated by Mercy Hospital and also by the City of Portland’s Ports and Transportation Department as part of Portland’s Sister City relationship with Cap-Haitien.
Many of the container contents will be used at the Justinian Hospital, a 250-bed public teaching hospital in the heart of Cap-Haitien, and by a small public clinic serving the impoverished Fort St. Michel neighborhood on the outskirts of Cap-Haitien. Some items in the container will also go to support programs for malnourished children and street children.
Started in 2000, Konbit Sante’s mission is to save lives and improve health care by building local capacity for Haitians to care for Haitians. Konbit Sante teams work at home and in Haiti throughout the year to train Haitian health care providers, to improve public medical facilities, and to prevent disease in the local communities. In Creole, a konbit is a traditional Haitian method of working together to till your friends’ fields as well as your own. The word sante means health. This is a powerful name in Haiti and reflects our friendship with the people of Haiti and our respect for the dedicated professionals who serve them.
To learn more about Konbit Sante’s work in Haiti, please visit our website at www.HealthyHaiti.org.