Longtime Volunteer Surgeon to Return to Haiti Hospital
John Judson, MD, first visited Haiti in 1968 when he took three months off from his surgical residency to work at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. Since then, he has returned to the poor island nation an average of two to four times a year.
In February, Dr. Judson will return to a much-changed Haiti.
“Before the earthquake, the country was a total disaster already. Now you’ve added another catastrophe on top of a disaster, and who knows what that equation yields. It’s not a pretty picture,” said Dr. Judson.
Located about 50 miles outside of Port-au-Prince, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer survived the earthquake intact. Since it is powered by diesel generators and has its own water supply, it was one of the only remaining functional hospitals immediately after the quake.
“Carloads of people, pickup trucks of people, came storming up the road right after the earthquake. By the day after the quake, the beds were full and people were sleeping on the floor. Within a day or two, people were camped all around the hospital waiting for care,” said Dr. Judson.
A thoracic surgeon, Dr. Judson said he expects to treat patients with wound infections, complications from initial trauma surgery, and various soft tissue and bone injuries. There also will be a backlog of the hospital’s regular surgical patients.
Treating patients outside of his specialty is nothing new for Dr. Judson. On previous trips to Haiti, he found himself setting bones, diagnosing abdominal problems, and treating children.
“If they show up, we have to do whatever we can. We’ve learned to take care of some pretty serious problems in an efficient manner, but the outcomes are not always as good as we expect in the US,” Dr. Judson said.
“People ask why I go all the way down there when there are so many needs in our country, but people don’t understand how desperate the needs are in a place like Haiti,” he added.
Dr. Judson hopes that there will be one ray of light amid this tragedy: that all the international attention will help the country rebuild better than it was before.
“As much of a calamity as this has been, many of us who have long-term relations there hope that it will represent the beginning of something much better,” said Dr. Judson.
To donate to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, which operates largely on contributions, visit the
hospital’s website. Follow
this link to learn about other ways you can help.
Last Updated: 1/29/2010