Doctors Without Borders Plane with Lifesaving Medical Supplies Diverted Again from Landing in Haiti

[DelPotro]

Doctors Without Borders Plane with Lifesaving Medical Supplies Diverted Again from Landing in Haiti

Patients in Dire Need of Emergency Care Dying from Delays in Arrival of Medical Supplies

Port-au-Prince, January 19, 2010 – A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cargo plane carrying 12 tons of medical equipment, including drugs, surgical supplies and two dialysis machines, was turned away three times from Port-au-Prince airport since Sunday night despite repeated assurances of its ability to land there. This 12-ton cargo was part of the contents of an earlier plane carrying a total of 40 tons of supplies that was blocked from landing on Sunday morning. Since January 14, MSF has had five planes diverted from the original destination of Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic. These planes carried a total of 85 tons of medical and relief supplies.

“We have had five patients in Martissant health center die for lack of the medical supplies that this plane was carrying,” said Loris de Filippi, emergency coordinator for the MSF’s Choscal Hospital in Cite Soleil. “I have never seen anything like this. Any time I leave the operating theater I see lots of people desperately asking to be taken for surgery. Today, there are 12 people who need lifesaving amputations at Choscal Hospital. We were forced to buy a saw in the market to continue amputations. We are running against time here.”

More than 500 patients in need of surgery have been transferred from MSF health center in the Martissant neighborhood to Choscal Hospital with more than 230 operated on since Thursday. MSF teams have been working since the first hours after the earthquake and these cargo shipments are vital to continue their ability to provide essential medical care to victims of the disaster. In five different locations in the city, MSF has given primary care to an estimated 3,000 people in the capital and performed more than 400 surgeries.

“It is like working in a war situation,” said Rosa Crestani, MSF medical coordinator for Choscal Hospital. “We don’t have any more morphine to manage pain for our patients. We cannot accept that planes carrying lifesaving medical supplies and equipment continue to be turned away while our patients die. Priority must be given to medical supplies entering the country.”

Many of the patients have been pulled from the rubble of collapsed buildings are at grave risk of death from septicemia and the consequences of “crush syndrome,” a condition where damaged muscle tissue releases toxins into the bloodstream and can lead to death from kidney failure. Dialysis machines are vital to keeping patients alive with this condition.

...

http://web1.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=4176&cat=press-release&ref=home-center-relatedlink

[Captain Hilts]

1. I just saw footage of the airport. It's crazy. nt

[HeresyLives]

2. Why is it that this group in particular

is having such problems getting in?

[Bragi]

8. They are among the most media smart of NGOs

And they're terrific!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. How do you know that they're having more problems than any other group? n/t

[HeresyLives]

20. Been in the news the last couple of days./nt

Also they have a website.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

25. Issuing press releases is not "the news."

And my question wasn't about whether or not they're having problems. Obviously they are. My question is whether they're having more problems than anyone else.

[TheWraith]

27. They don't see it as unusual, themselves.

Lots of flights are having to circle or wait, and the commercial aircraft some of the NGOs are using don't have in-flight refueling capability like the military transports do. Plus the USAF heavy transports with 85 tons of people/supplies/equipment take priority over smaller aircraft only carrying 12 tons, since there's limited room at the airstrip.

In any event DWB has said they see nothing unusual with two out of their eleven flights having to be diverted, and it's not a big deal.

[mainer]

3. They should be the FIRST allowed in.

Who the heck is being allowed to land instead? Missionaries?

[Duer 157099]

5. Guys with guns n/t

[Merchant Marine]

31. Security teams, their equipment, vehicles and weapons,

forklifts to unload planes, trucks to move supplies, fuel for trucks, forklifts and planes, men to drive the trucks and forklifts, men to run Air traffic control and their equipment, men to organize where the cargo goes, all the food and sundries those men need, tents for 100k refugees, men to set up those tents and take care of the refugees.

I've said it once and I'll say it again- when the port is cleared for deep-draft ships and the first Military Sealift Command medium-speed ro-ros get into port, the trickle of relief is going to turn into a firehose. The airlift game is about getting equipment in place to manage that stream of cargo while at the same time moving the minimum of relief supplies needed to sustain life. The airfield couldn't move enough relief goods if it was 100% tasked to those flights, and even if there was enough it'd all sit on the tarmac until trucks, fuel and drivers could be flown in.

This is about building a supply chain that can support the entire country for the months and months of aid it's going to need. The big problem is that Haiti only has one real airport, which will continue to be a massive bottleneck until the port opens. I bet the seabees will be clearing a rough field runway for C-130s after they finish clearing streets for relief convoys.

[eqfan592]

32. Good post.

Helps to put things in perspective. I can't imagine being in charge of something like that. What do you tackle first? You have 1000 problems to solve, witch each one being as urgent as the last.

I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the port. Until that port is opened up again, it's going to be impossible to get the sort of supplies they need in there.

[TxRider]

46. They already are

"I bet the seabees will be clearing a rough field runway for C-130s after they finish clearing streets for relief convoys."

New strip opening within 24hrs.

And the port looks like it'll be open in a week.

[XOKCowboy]

62. Thank you...

I support DWB but understand how this is a logistical nightmare.

[LynneSin]

6. The problem is everyone is trying to land a plane in a place not equipped to take this traffic

Mind you, everyone means well. If people are sending personal into Haiti the smartest thing to do is to have these folks first land somewhere OTHER than Port-au-Prince. That way the UN can determine if these are people who are critical to help or should be turned back home. A few hours on the ground in Dominican Republic, Cuba or Gitmo could help get Doctors without Borders into Haiti much quicker.

[WolverineDG]

35. Okay brainac, say we let all the DWB planes land first

who's going to offload them? & with what equipment? who's going to do ATC to make sure there's not a plane crash?

Jesus, the stupidity is strong with the Fighting 404th Chairborne.

dg

[mainer]

50. As a physician, I think anesthetics and meds are pretty important

Amputations and major surgery are being done in the field right now WITHOUT ANESTHESIA. And you think the medical equipment on the MSF plane is unnecessary? Right.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. As a physitian you also know that

clean food and water is sort of critical for silly shit like avoiding the second wave. And you KNOW what that is.

And this stuff, like medicines is actually GETTING to the field hospitals according to both the UN and the ICRC.

The priorities are multiple and they all sort of take first place, sort off in the priority list.

And yes, things are ACTUALLY GETTING BETTER. They have, since oh Wednesday.

[WolverineDG]

57. And how much good are they going to be

IF YOU CAN'T GET THEM OFF THE PLANE????

Think getting ground equipment in first is unnecessary now?

dg

[LynneSin]

4. The airport is both damaged from the earthquake and ill-equipped to handle so much traffic

If someone was smart, they would setup a landing area either in Cuba or Gitmo so they can go thru what is needed and what isn't and then start getting the criticals into Haiti.

What's frustrating is every two-bit organization out there things the solution is to buy goods and send it to Haiti. My mother was buying Peanut Butter on sale to give to her local church sending donations to Haiti. I told her to save the money on Peanut Butter and give it the cash to Red Cross or another similiar organization - that her Peanut Butter would probably end up in a warehouse somewhere for months because there is no real way of getting her jar of peanut butter to help anyone out.

However her money could help pay to get Haiti rebuilt and fix the infrastructure that is holding up all those jars of peanut butter just waiting to get in there.

[HeresyLives]

7. Others are getting in tho.

These guys have had to land in the DR several times now, and then bus into Haiti. Adds 24 hours to the trip tho.

[TheWraith]

29. So? It's not like they're the only doctors who are coming in.

There's 200 flights a day in and out of that one crappy little airstrip, and every one of them is packed with emergency workers and supplies coming in, and with medevacs going out.

[WolverineDG]

36. SO IS DWB!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7502893

dg

[marylanddem]

9. Ed Rendell gets in. Bill Clinton gets in. Hillary gets in. But not doctors.

This is pure shit.

[malaise]

19. +1 n/t

[TheWraith]

28. The VIPs are riding coach on military transports just like everybody else.

They're not displacing needed personnel.

[quiller4]

30. they are hopping military flights w/doc and supplies. n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

49. Rendell went in with a plane full of supplies

You have a PROBLEM with that? You have a PROBLEM with him getting permission for and coordinating loading up the supply plane with orphans to get out of that hell and into safety and comfort in PA that would have otherwise gone back empty? The Clintons either hitched a ride on planes going in anyway or went in by copter that wouldn't have had a need to go into the airport anyway same as the reporters. They aren't holding anything up nor going in place of other flights.

Plently of other rescue teams were able to get in immediately because they went in with their own off-loading teams, equipment, fuel, etc. and went in on aircraft that likely didn't need to land at the airport at all. A pity that DWB isn't trained and equiped to operate self-sufficiently the same way especially considering they're first responders.

[nadinbrzezinski]

52. Clinton came in a transport flight

the SOS was kind of a gimme, after all they NEEDED face to face with HOST government

And you think Rendell rode First Class?

Clueless

[mainer]

11. Priorities are screwed up. MSF and IRC first first first!

At least they have the most experience and the personnel and equipment.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. Here is some reality for you

1.- Teams have rescued so far, 90 people and due to technical conditions they have not called off the search.

2.- There are 1380 Search and Rescue Personnel from around the world and 95 dogs.

3.- Teams are now also moving to places like Jacmel and Leogane

4.- The effort has distributed 270,000 food rations so far, and expect to do more

Now to those who are wondering who is in charge...

5.- The US in charge of Logistics, the UN is in charge of coordinating the Humanitarian response.

6.- In the next 48 hours they will start giving out tents to people.

7.- They have not seen a massive refugee movement.

http://www.prensaescrita.com/adiario.php?codigo=&pagina=http://www.cronica.com.mx

Now I know this will be like not well received, I mean this is not as sexy as One plane in the chain not landing...

And no, nobody is playing favorites either

[jmowreader]

47. The Air Force has the equipment needed for this one

I'm going to assume there's a reason why MSF can't piggyback their freight onto Air Force C-17s.

[eqfan592]

12. Sorry, but I call bull shit.

Do we know what were on the planes that DID land? Was this the ONLY PLANE of medical supplies and doctors that was on it's way?

Sorry, but right now they need EVERYTHING, food, water, medical supplies, doctors, engineers, security, the whole works.

To say that people are dying because this one plane didn't land is a load of shit. These people have totally lost their sense of perspective, and that news media outlets are feeding into it is just shameful.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Article says this is 3rd time the plane could not land.

Yesterday's news said that Doc W/O borders were allowed to land one plane which carried
ONE HALF of a portable hospital but that other half of the hospital was not allowed to land, thus making the entire hospital worthless.

[eqfan592]

26. And yet you pass down condemnation without knowing what was allowed to land instead of this plane.

Thats what I mean when I say that this is a story without any context. We have no idea what other equally vital supplies were allowed to land instead of that one plane.

[dixiegrrrrl]

41. I stated NO condemnation.

I said what the article said and what a news story said.
I expressed no opinions or feelings about what the news reported.
Project much?

[eqfan592]

42. Condemnation was clearly implied.

But nice attempt at back peddling. And what, exactly, am I projecting? I feel there is no need for condemnation, so why would I attempt to project condemnation? That doesn't even make any sense.

[ancient_nomad]

13. WTH! Who is Unrecommending this?!

[eqfan592]

14. People with enough common sense to know....

...that this is sensationalist bull?

[ancient_nomad]

15. OH! Gosh maybe some are in the wrong place.

[whistler162]

38. My guess is the same person who tried to

threadjack this with a complaint about unrec'ng!

[KittyWampus]

16. They've "successfully landed five planes with a total of 135 tons of supplies into Port-au-Prince"

the very same article says.

How many full days has it been since the earthquake?

[eqfan592]

18. Exactly.

This article doesn't do a good job of placing this one diverted plane into the context of the entire relief effort that is taking place there. Thats why I think it's sensationalism to claim that people are dying because this one single plane was diverted, implying that no other aircraft that landed could possibly have been more urgent or important than what was on that one single plane.

[HeresyLives]

22. And had others turned away.

No one has claimed people are dying because this 'one single plane' was diverted. But Haiti needs doctors urgently, and DWB carries surgical hospitals, doctors and nurses.

[eqfan592]

24. Did you read the OP?

"“We have had five patients in Martissant health center die for lack of the medical supplies that this plane was carrying,” said Loris de Filippi...." Right from the article in the OP.

So yes, somebody has in fact claimed that people are dying because of this "one single plane." And like I said earlier, Haiti needs just about EVERYTHING right now.

Ultimately, the most important thing in many ways is getting the port repaired and open again. If they can do that quickly, then all the supplies you could ask for you could shipped in very quickly. The air support effort right now is like putting a band-aid on a sucking chest wound.

[enlightenment]

34. How is that sensationalism?

The statement was valid. If the five patients died because the medical supplies on the MSF plane could not land and off-load a cargo that was destined, in part, to that hospital - then the statement is accurate. It was specific, not sensational.

The primary mission at the moment is medical care; MSF is trying to provide desperately needed medical care.
http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20100118/AGENCY02/1180304/1001

Federal agencies continue to pour staffers and equipment into Haiti, where the focus is now shifting from search-and-rescue missions to medical care.

For some reason they have had multiple planes diverted. Given that, according to the US military, fewer than 100 planes (out of some 600 that are landing daily) have been diverted since this started, the three MSF flights are a small, but statistically significant, percentage and it is reasonable to wonder why.

[eqfan592]

40. Wow, really?

Nobody could possibly know that the those specific supplies on that specific plane is exactly what was needed to save those people. Especially when you consider the very high likelihood that many other planes also with medical supplies were landed in a similar time frame.

So yes, it is clearly sensationalism of the worst kind.

MSF has tried to fly, what, 12 flights in? And of those, only 3 were diverted? And there's no mention of what was landed in their place.

Sorry, but this is a cheap shot, pure and simple.

[enlightenment]

53. Your opinion - stated many times.

I disagree. But please do continue shoving it down everyone's throat . . . it might catch on, eventually.

[eqfan592]

59. Nobody is being forced to read what I have to say.

And you're welcome to disagree as much as you want.

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. I will correct you, that is DWB primary mission

but it is not the primary mission. It is ONE of several primary missions. Food and water are up there with delivering doctors, nurses and medications.

This is why this is a damn juggling act

[enlightenment]

54. Sorry, the article didn't specify that it was talking about MSF.

It was a general article discussing how the mission is shifting from search and rescue to medical care.

I know you know more about it and I'm not arguing your larger point, but I was not wrong in my reading of the article (which I cited). I understand it is a juggling act; I'm aware that people will die. I was suggesting to the histrionic poster above that for a doctor who was waiting for supplies that were aboard that particular flight (perhaps the dialysis machines?) to state that some patients died because the hospital did not receive the awaited supplies is NOT a sensational statement.

[eqfan592]

60. Not that I wish to continue to go back and forth with you on this, but...

The doctors implication is that the only plane that had the specific supplies they needed to survive was the one that was diverted. I find this suspect in the extreme. It also doesn't allow for the context of the overall rescue and relief operation that is taking place, and all the supplies that are necessary for it. I think that is really the greater offense.

EDIT: Oh, and the only "histrionic" person around here was the doctor in quoted in the OP.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. The Grasp got on station yesterday

if the port has mild problems they will be able to bring it to Operational status in 72 hours. If the port was heavily damaged may need a week or a little more.

As is ROll on and off as well as other assets are making their way to station, and not just from the US.

And yes I am going to sound really, REALLY cold, but in a disaster people die. People who otherwise would not die... having done triage for real, I get that. Frustrating as hell, painful as shit, still have nightmares over this, but yes that is the damn nature of the damn beast.

[TxRider]

58. Last news I heard

Was that the initial damage report was significant and that they hoped for a week, possibly using landing craft to offload ships

[SidDithers]

17. More life saving, fewer press releases please...nt

Sid

[XOKCowboy]

23. This airport only had 3 flights a day on it's ONE runway before the earthquake!

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/were-doing-lot-haiti-very-small-airpo

Col. Buck Elton, who was given the mission to open up airfield and assist with airlifts, says they have controlled 600+ takeoffs and landings in an airstrip that normally sees three takeoffs and landings a day.

Because the air traffic control tower has collapsed, all of this is being done by radio, on the ground - in a place that only has one runway/taxiway for planes, set directly in the middle of the airport and thus making it difficult for other planes to take off and arrive.

Col. Buck talked about how they have to "stack the aircraft until we have space for someone else to come in. " The maximum number of aircraft that can fit on the ground: one wide-body, five narrow-body planes. and three smaller aircrafts that can taxi in on the ground, filling that spot as necessary. (It sounds like a game of Tetris.)

That's 3 normal sized planes. Nations are sending in widebody transport planes and it takes time to unload them and get them out of there to bring another plane in. Do the math! I'm sure that many planes are being turned away. I doubt that DWB is the only organization or country that's unable to get right in.

I support DWB but is this really helping the situation? I think this is a "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" tactic. I hope that it works.

[LiberalFighter]

33. Probably because Travolta demanding his plane gets priority for his volunteer mininsters.

[hayu_lol]

39. Instead of flying their own 12 ton load in...

why doesn't the mission coordinate with the military flights in to Haiti and let the big 'trash haulers' (C-130s)take their stuff. Eliminate one of many planes too small to be allowed to land(no fuel or parking facilities for them).

Or consider air dropping their small load somewhere close to the need for their supplies?

If they have doctors trying to get there, have the docs bum rides on the big carriers.

Wouldn't be the same for their contributions media-wise would it?

[ManiacJoe]

45. Seems awfully convenient that every press release

where DWB complain about diverted landings they leave out the reasons for the diversions.

Haiti's damaged airport is very small, with little parking space, and few equipment for unloading cargo planes. Assuming the military is/had increasing the amount of unloading equipment, DWB needs to cope with trying to get their huge planes onto the ground. Their best bet is probably to land at DR's airport like they did previously.

My guess is that if they start using smaller cargo planes, they will have better luck with parking spots.

The fact that everyone is complaining that he is not the first in line for landings suggests that those creating the priority list are actually doing a good job.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. Re: equipment it was telling that one of the things

the Mexican AF brought in the first flight they landed WAS a cargo loader...

The other two planes were diverted

The USAF brought more of course... but think about it... they loaded a cargo loader instead of supplies.

The 409th Keyboard commandos don't get how telling that was.

[ManiacJoe]

55. Good call by the Mexicans!

[freeplessinseattle]

56. just so frustrating, I know logistics and all

it just seems from what we're hearing besides all the things others have noted part of the problem is lack of leadership-or too much leadership, ie: lots of dick-waving and muttering going on.

[hayu_lol]

61. What kind of plane did the DWB use...

the heavy lift 'trash haulers' have ramps to help offload with with forklifts and the like. Most civilian craft use movable stairs and don't have an easy way to offload cargo. The old C-124 would have been ideal for this mission...forward ramps and clamshell doors and an elevator(for palletized cargo)back near the tail. Oh yeah, and three decks to store cargo if necessary. Again from the past, C-119(boxcars)and C-123 cargo aircraft would have been ideal for light airdrops(food, water, med. supplies and the like).

They had a successful airdrop from a C-17 so there probably will be more of those.

One cargo that takes up a lot of space is toilet paper. Gotta be a lot of that going in as well as disposable diapers. The people need everything.