Mission Video | Anna’s Report

Mission Report

– By Anna Xu

When I decided to go on this mission trip, I had only a vague idea of what I would encounter in Haiti. From news reports, Haiti seemed to be a country in dire need of economic and political development to achieve stability for its people. However, during the flight to Haiti, I was captivated by the island’s beautiful beaches and unspoiled skyline. It was my first glimpse of Haiti, and my initial thought was that it was a stunning place. Touching down in Cap Haitien, I was introduced to a different reality.

In the 1 hour journey to the rural hospital where we would be serving for the duration of our mission, we traversed unpaved dirt roads and witnessed trash piled up along the shores. The acrid smell of burning trash piles confirmed that there was no proper waste management in place.

Every day at the hospital, we saw patients with illnesses that would not even be seen in the US, thanks to the preventive measures in place. However, in Haiti, patients had to travel long distances, often under perilous conditions, just to see a doctor. The lack of proper infrastructure and economic hardship prevented many Haitians from seeking preventative care, resulting in simple health issues becoming major problems requiring urgent medical attention. It was no surprise that the hospital did not have adequate resources to efficiently treat patients, and our team had to be flexible and creative with their treatments.

Procedures may have taken more time than usual, but it was gratifying to see each complete procedure after all the frustrations it took to get there. Every successful completion felt worth it, especially in such a challenging environment that many of the members on the team were not habituated to.

We are limited in our ability to do much in just 1 week, thus we focused on treating the most urgent cases and transferring our knowledge of procedures and protocols to the native Haitian medical team to provide more standardized care.

I assisted Dr. Julie Chen for the majority of my time. A pain management specialist, Dr. Chen had knowledge of acupuncture as well. For each patient, she would assess whether acupuncture or a local anesthetic injection would be the most suitable treatment. I was surprised by how receptive patients were to acupuncture.

The local PA and PT teams also assisted and learned from Dr. Chen. While treating each patient, Dr. Chen took the time to explain the cause of the pain each patient was experiencing. There were many cases of pain associated with H. pylori infection. My most memorable case was when Dr. Chen explained that the high incidence of H. pylori infection in the patients we saw was due to the lack of hygienic practices in everyday life which stemmed from the lack of trash disposal services and poor infrastructure that would allow for clean water and a clean environment. She then encouraged the young students to advocate for themselves and their community to improve their living conditions so that diseases stemming from easily solvable hygienic issues can be avoided entirely.

Haiti has immense potential to improve the lives of its inhabitants. Despite its current undeveloped state, the country has a strong foundation in its beautiful land and people who are willing to learn and improve their living conditions. This mission trip has left me with a greater appreciation for and hope in the people of Haiti.