Dear Editor,

I believe, like many others, that the international response to Haiti’s plight has been slow. To date, there are numerous places throughout the country that have received little to no assistance, particularly in the most important areas of search and rescue and the provision of basic items such as water.

Many of us wonder why there is a major delay in providing the most basic needs to the victims in an era where the technological capabilities of many of the nations that are involved in the relief efforts, particularly the US, is sufficient to overcome many of the obstacles created by the earthquake.

These are reasonable and logical questions that should not be avoided out of fear of appearing unappreciative of relief efforts. It is heart-wrenching to see a person die after being rescued from the rubble because of the lack of or inadequate medical care. It is demoralising for those involved in search-and-rescue missions to go to great lengths to rescue someone only to find out later that the person died because he/she did not receive basic medical attention.

It has been all over the news that relief efforts in Haiti have been a ‘logistical nightmare’. No one is disputing that the challenges are enormous, but there are numerous medical supplies sitting idly at airports that could have been airlifted by helicopters and delivered to the medical workers who are in the trenches with the victims, surrounded by the dead and the dying, and who are working endless hours using primitive equipment. There are numerous reports of doctors having to resort to operating without anaesthetics, having to decide who lives or who dies because of the flood of critically ill patients entering the clinics. There are also reports that basic ointments to put on wounds, costing as little as five cents, to stop the spread of deadly infections, are sitting idly at airports because of the so-called ‘logistical nightmare’.

Members of the Israeli medical group – one of the most effective teams – suggested that this so-called logistical nightmare is nothing more than a bureaucratic disaster, as the leaders of many of these relief organisations are of the misguided opinion that everything should be perfectly in place before distributions can occur. Again, no one is disputing the importance of organisation, but common sense should prevail that saving lives should be given the highest priority. Rushing medical supplies to the clinics scattered throughout the earthquake-hit areas should have been the highest priority, but it was not.

I sometimes wonder if the response would have been this slow if the victims were of a different colour. We know from the New Orleans flood that things did not go quite well for black folks. Many speculated that race played a major role in the delays. I can’t help but wonder if Haiti is a victim of this. The world never seems to be in a hurry when Africans throughout the Diaspora need assistance. There is no question that corrupt leadership and the lack of a viable infrastructure added to Haiti’s suffering, but it is inexcusable to watch people dying right before our eyes without making every effort to save their lives. Anderson Cooper – a renowned correspondent for CNN who has been to disaster zones throughout the world – and other reporters are baffled by the slow response of the international community, particularly that of the United States, who has taken the lead role in the relief efforts.

Although I am extremely grateful and appreciative of America’s efforts, had it been Cuba who was in charge of the relief efforts, chances are many more lives would have been saved. Cuba is known to provide thousands of doctors in times of need. They seem to be more proactive when it comes to matters of this nature.

We need to put politics and our indifferences aside to save lives, particularly in response to disasters of this magnitude. I also noticed that there were no Chinese contingents in Haiti. Again, I don’t know if politics plays a role, but it seems very likely.

Norman Edmonson

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