Forums » Off duty » News & media » Haiti earthquake
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Re: Haiti earthquake
posted at 10/2/2010 11:46 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 106
First: 15/6/2009 Last: 24/11/2011 |
I saw an interesting blog in the New York Times magazine recently discussing what could be sent to Haiti other than money - and it seems that there is a movement to send breast milk. I wasn't familiar with similar projects to regularly send donor milk for use in hospitals in US and Canada, as well as Africa - so when I first read the headline I had check that I had read correctly. This current scheme to provide breast milk to orphanages, for infants who are premature, orphaned and ill is running through the Human Milk Banking Association of North America - it strikes me as something that the UK would not readily embrace - however, having discussed the matter with a number fo new mums there was a willingness to do similar if there was an organisation here in the UK... Maybe something already exists but I'd be interested on your thoughts...
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Re: Haiti earthquake: breast milk donations
posted at 16/2/2010 1:48 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 392
First: 13/11/2009 Last: 29/9/2011 |
Hi meltroke. My reseasrch has led me to believe that although clean drinking water is in short supply in Haiti and breast milk is a safer option than formula, it seems "well meaning" mothers from the rest of the world are "misguided". msnbc: The international Emergency Nutrition Network has asked one group, the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, to retract a press release issuing an “urgent call” for breast milk for orphaned and premature infants in Haiti, saying the donations contradict best practices for babies in emergencies. According to a statement from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, such donations pose problems of transportation, screening, supply and storage and create an “unfeasible and unsafe intervention.” |
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Re: Haiti earthquake: exploitation of a disaster
posted at 16/2/2010 2:12 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 392
First: 13/11/2009 Last: 29/9/2011 |
Shockingly, it appears we need to be aware of more than looters in the aftermath of disasters. Recent news tells of bogus charities scamming the public out of donation money and private hospitals charging patients for donated medicines. BBC: Criminal gangs have been cashing in on the Haiti earthquake by seeking funds for bogus charities via millions of spam e-mails. One said it was from the British Red Cross, but was traced to a computer in Nigeria; another used the Unicef logo, but was nothing to do with them. How does the public decide which Haiti charities to donate to when there are so many supposedly good causes to chose from?
TTKN News: United Nations reports some Haitian public and private hospitals charge patients, meaning shipments of medicines and other relief goods has been stopped due to public maltreatment. Christophe Rerat of the Pan American Health Organization, the UN health agency in the region said, “The money is huge. ” And added, “ $1 million worth of drugs have been sent from UN warehouses alone to Haitian hospitals in the past three weeks.” He stressed that these hospitals are not required to ask any payments from the victims because Haitian Health Ministry employees are getting paid with donated money. Do such criminal activities justify cessation of aid shipments? |
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Re: Haiti earthquake
posted at 22/4/2010 3:01 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 392
First: 13/11/2009 Last: 29/9/2011 |
BMJ: The unprecedented humanitarian intervention in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January helped to avert a worse crisis, especially for children, say Unicef and other aid agencies. But, they say, more still needs to be done to ensure the delivery of health care and other essential services. Unicef says the immediate concerns after the earthquake among children were injuries. But three months later the risks for women and children are "various health threats particularly communicable diseases." MSF: Three months after the earthquake which devastated Haiti on January 12, killing over 200,000 people, MSF is continuing to respond to both the immediate and the longer-term needs of the Haitian people. Despite recent improvements in Haiti’s healthcare sector, medical services were limited and inequitably provided even before the January 12 earthquake, with Haiti having the highest maternal mortality rate in the western hemisphere. At the start of 2010, MSF was operating four health facilities in Port-au-Prince, providing, among other things, primary and secondary care, trauma and emergency treatment, and surgical and obstetric services. When the earthquake struck, MSF rushed to respond to overwhelming medical needs and the number rose to 26, including hospitals, post-operative care facilities, rehabilitation centres, and general medical centres. null
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Re: Don't serve us up last night's left-overs.
posted at 22/4/2010 11:03 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2948
First: 10/3/2009 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Haiti is old hat now. We are on to new disasters. We don't want to hear about old stuff. The media can't survive on old meat, it needs new stuff to capture the seven second grab and milliseconds of international compassion. It is not even worth a Twitter with 140 letters of the Roman alphabet. So don't serve us up last night's left overs. There is China' s earthquake and Iceland's volcanic attempt to stop my fan mail, fresh flowers and caviar from the Caspian while it seeks revenge for the damage of the GFC on Europe and her vassal states. Meanwhile on our front page is a national rugby league scandal. Haiti....when will you ever learn. Not even Chile rates a mention. I told you, Paris, this would happen. Next thing there will be something on Poland again. |
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Re: Haiti earthquake
posted at 23/4/2010 11:08 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 392
First: 13/11/2009 Last: 29/9/2011 |
Thanks for the comments Odysseus please click here for updates on the Chile earthquake |
Forums » Off duty » News & media » Haiti earthquake
