We got up at 5:45am to get ready to go to the hospital. Our ride was a little local bus with no windows and a very stale smell. After a 45-minute ride we get to the hospital finally, all sweaty and already tired. But as soon as we get there we find another problem. All our patients were gone because during the night someone said there was going to be another earthquake and so they just rolled all the beds away from the building, with the patients in them! It took us a couple of hours to find them and bring them back to one place.
This was the day a special team got onto the problem of having no water for the patients, and wow, you have no idea what a relief it is to be able to go around and distribute water in abundance to all the people!!! Food is still very short but at least water is now under control!
Enrico and Fabio from our group coordinated getting more beds moved out of the old hospital building and out onto the street. More beds means a lot to the patients who were just been sleeping on the pavement for the last days. They now have some kind of tent to protect them against the sun and a bed (even if most beds are broken and over 20 years old it makes a big difference).
The main doctor that had asked us for help was very thankful. He couldn't believe how coordinated and responsible we are in getting the job done. He just had to say something and we would find a way to solve it, from bringing blood to the lab to moving x-ray machines to the patients. Also, one big job is getting all the new volunteer doctors organized up so they can attend the patients. For example, Elena needed someoen to take care of 3 critical patients and she grabbed one of the doctors who was running around looking for an IV she traded her time finding the IV for his time visiting the three patients. This is just the way we are operating and making things work!
By the end of the day we had a much more organized scene there. The Swiss Red Cross opened up three big tents for the kids and delivering moms, so I didn't have any more new born baby just put in my arms without a place to put them.
With our help and spiritual support we got several patients to recover from a comatose state. They are now sitting up on their beds and communicating again. One woman was able to leave the critical care unit. When she went home she thanked us with a smile that went from one ear to the other.
Finally tonight at 7 p.m., exhausted from a day that started before 6 a.m., we waited for our truck but none came! Our Tenant (that's how we named Fabio because he's so awesome in coordinating!) went around and got two guys to find us a transport -- an old multi-colored bus! 45 minutes later we got to the base camp at the airport, ate some protein bars and nuts and crashed in our tents.
25 January 2010: We wake up at 5.45, ready to go to the hospital and turn over our functions there to the volunteers that newly flew in and so we can coordinate our next project.
Oh, and we even took a shower!!! Or I should say that the team organizing the base camp surprised us with shower stalls made of wood panels and water in big buckets! And we also had the first coffee in many days. It was instant coffee, but just delicious!
Yesterday we also got in new food supplies, army-type, rich in protein and vitamins, and actually tasty. It was really good after hardly more than nuts and protein bars for the past few days.
So things are getting more and more organized at the base camp and safer for the next volunteers to come here. There is a lot of help needed here! So please keep it coming-- donations, skills or goods, we can use it all!
