Robyn Couper
A proposal to establish a physiotherapy and occupational
school in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitien is being investigated
by a North Otago trust as one way to help the country's people
recover from January's devastating earthquake.
The project was announced yesterday afternoon by Project
Hearts and Hands for Haiti (HHH), which has already raised
about $120,000 for medical relief teams to go to there.
One team has not long returned and another will go back in
January with surgeons, anaesthetists and physiotherapists.
At a public meeting attended by about 120 people in Oamaru
yesterday, the achievements of the team, based at St
Justinien's Hospital in Cap-Haitien, was outlined, along with
plans for more long term aid.
Most earthquake victims suffer orthopaedic injuries, but the
country lacks trained physiotherapists and occupational
therapists.
In the first team funded by the North Otago community to go
to Haiti, there were three physiotherapists who not only
assisted patients but also started training three
physiotherapist assistants at a unit set up by the University
of Miami.
Former Waitaki mayor Alan McLay went across to join the team,
with a role of deciding "where we go from here".
"My job was to look at what had been done and how we could
operate in the future effectively," he said.
Education was the key and a site, owned by the Evangelical
Church, for a possible physiotherapy school about 10km from
the city centre had been identified.
It had two buildings, one of which was "revivable" and could
be developed.
A second storey could be added as a training centre and
clinic, with the existing ground floor providing
accommodation for between eight to 10 people.
Project HHH medical teams who went to Cap-Haitien could also
stay there.
The site was also large enough to become a centre for health
services education.
"The lack of physios is huge and we could possibly do
something about that," Mr McLay said.
Project HHH chairman Bruce Albiston emphasised the school was
a proposal at this stage and more investigation was needed.
The next step was to prepare concept plans to seek approval
from civic, hospital and health authorities in Haiti and
clinicians, along with investigating how it could be funded
and what money was needed.
Already, that had been discussed with authorities who were
interested in the project.
- david.bruce@odt.co.nz
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