Doctor: Haiti Slow To Rebuild A Year After Earthquake
MIAMI - (CBS4) - Next week will mark the first anniversary since Haiti's devastating earthquake shattered much of the country's infrastructure. Yet, University of Miami's Dr. Barth Green, one of the first doctors to arrive in Haiti, said not enough has been done to rebuild the most important institutions in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
"There's not one school or house or factory or hospital that has been built since the earthquake. Billions of dollars have been spent and nothing visible to show," Green said.
"Now, they've sort of changed their role from treating patients to being mentors, training the trainers. We're going back to the basic principles that we forgot right after the earthquake – you don't give people fish, you teach them how to fish."
Green said nothing prepared him for the destruction and devastation he witnessed when he landed in Port-Au-Prince with whatever medical supplies he could grab.
But thanks to the non-profit organization he co-founded – Project Medishare – more than 5,000 doctors and nurses have treated nearly 70,000 patients with fractures in the Haitian capital. Green characterized the devastation as "landing in hell."
Just as Haiti was dealing with the earthquake's aftermath, the nation was dealt another blow. A cholera outbreak that has killed 3,000 people continues to plague the country.
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