ARTICLE - TO HAITI TO FIGHT CHOLERA

GOAR: CHRISTMAS DESTINATION: HAITI TO FIGHT CHOLERA
(Toronto Star) - By Carol Goar, Editorial Board

Six days ago, Marilyn McHarg’s Christmas wish came true.

With relief and gratitude, the executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) took down the emergency appeal on the agency’s website. Fifty-four Canadians had responded to its call for doctors, nurses and technical experts to help manage the cholera crisis in Haiti.

The volunteers were willing to ship out before Christmas. They were ready to hit the ground running and move as rapidly as the disease was spreading. They knew they couldn’t count on help from Haiti’s chaotic government or hard-pressed relief organizations.

“The number of people who applied was incredible,” McHarg said. “It shows the dedication to help others.”

At this time of year, it is easy to lose sight of that selflessness. The scramble to buy gifts, make holiday preparations, get to a succession of parties, send out Christmas greetings and meet year-end deadlines can be all-consuming.

But every December — in good years and bad, seasons of hope and cynicism — ordinary Canadians do extraordinary things.

There is no need to look overseas. Hundreds of Torontonians spend their Christmas making the day better for others. Many families have extra seats at Christmas dinner for people who would otherwise be alone or homesick. Hospital workers and volunteers go far beyond the call of duty to make the day special for patients. Nursing home employees do everything they can to make sure no one feels isolated or forgotten.

The Haitian example is no different, except for the size of the sacrifice and the speed of the response.

On Dec. 2, Médicins Sans Frontières put out the call for health-care professionals who could leave on short notice and stay for a minimum of a month. They would be sent to one of MSF’s 31 cholera treatment centres, some of which are in remote areas still devastated by last January’s earthquake. They’d be part of a team of 150 MSF recruits and 1,000 Haitians, meaning they might not be working in their own language or practising alongside anyone they knew.

The bulletin didn’t mention they’d be living in tents, but most will. It didn’t say the workload would be onerous, but with 135,000 Haitians already infected, they’ll have to treat hundreds of cholera victims a day. It didn’t allude to the anger and violence festering in the wake of last month’s election, but they’ll be working in an atmosphere of tension and instability.

In short, they’ll be uncomfortable, sleep-deprived and on edge.

It took less than two weeks to come up with enough volunteers.

McHarg hasn’t had time to do a detailed analysis of the applications. What she knows, so far, is that 32 individuals met MSF’S qualifications (a valid professional licence, two years’ experience and a commitment to spend a minimum of four weeks in Haiti). Many have been on previous MSF missions. The charity tries to limit the number of newcomers on an emergency posting to 30 per cent. It also aims to have four medical support workers — nurses, mechanics, engineers, communication specialists and jacks-of-all-trades — for every doctor.

With a full complement of recruits, MSF can now start bringing home the 25 exhausted Canadians who’ve been in Haiti since October setting up cholera treatment centres and rehydrating victims of the disease. “For the next month or so, we’ll be okay,” McHarg said.

This is what she hoped would happen. She’s seen medical professionals rise to many global challenges in her 21 years at MSF. But the response surprised even her.

Some would call it a Christmas miracle. But it’s not really miraculous. The spirit of altruism has been part of Canada for 143 years.