16754: JHudicourt: Dr. Farmer (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JHUDICOURTB@aol.com


Thinking that Paul Farmer is the one and only person who has dedicated his
life to bettering live of Haitians is a slap in the face of the many  moral
heroes that have  worked and/or continue to work  daily  for and with the Haitian
people.  Farmer is known because he writes and he likes publicity.  Many in
Haiti prefer not to be talked about because publicity actually endangers their
cause.  Some outstanding groups have recently suffered from either attempts to
undermnine their funding sources or actual violence against their leaders.
Farmer's faithfulness to the government and his advocacy for the government give
him protection.
Farmer has benefitted from the steady backing of a Massachusetts Catholic
millionaire, Mr. Tom White, who made his fortune in construction and vowed to
give it all away before he dies.  Both Mr. Farmer and Mr. White should be thanked
.  The public should not be misled in thinking that they are the only ones,
and that their work is harder than other people's work in Haiti
There are many heroes in Haiti.  Some of them are  just dedicated people, not
doctors, not priest, not fancy people.  I know for example  the principal of
a "public" pre-school program, partially funded by the catholic church, who
takes public transportation every day  from Petion-Ville to Carrefour ( a
commute which could take 45 minutes or 3 hours depending on the day's weather and
the moment's traffic jam) on her monthly salary of 3 thousand gourdes (U$75)
although she has the equivalent of a college education. She feels that it is her
duty to make sure that every child gets a snack of juice and sandwich even if
the church's subsidies are not sufficient when the price of groceries goes up.
 She is gone from her home during day-time hours, and earns practically
nothing, but is able to feel love and dedication for the well-being and learning of
"her "children.  She has no impact on world policies but she is one of
Haiti's heroes.
In medicine in Haiti there are and there have been many heroes.  I will
mention names only of people who have died.
Dr. and Mrs. Mellon's hospital in Deschapelles has changed the outlook for
health in the Artibonite valley.  They had their family's money invested in this
work and they gave fifty years of their lives to the Artibonite valley.  They
realized that just providing clinic and hospitalization was futile in the
face of major threats to health presented by poverty, and they engaged in major
public health projects like providing clean water and training parents on
nutrition.Yet, at the end of her life I heard Mrs. Mellon thank the Haitian people
for permitting her to do this work.  They lived in Deschapelles full-time, and
were buried in cardboard coffins on the hospital grounds.  The hospital is
still functioning after their death and has made history in world medical books
with their outstanding success with turberculosis, work lead by Haitian Dr.
Garnier (deceased) and with eradication of  tetanos in newborns, work lead by
Americandoctors, still alive.  The  highest scoring students of the state 's
medical school usually try to interview for resident positions  at Schweitzer in
Deschapelles because it is the best training place for young doctors in Haiti.
    When I was growing up during the Duvalier era, when things were really
grim, there were  2 Haitian general practioners who were very well known for
their outstanding work and generosity.  Dr.  Wallon in Petion-Ville  and Dr.
Bartoli in Port-au-Prince , each had private clinics where they saw clients
regardless of income.  They were known to have very crowded waiting rooms, to accept
live animals or groceries in lieu of cash, and to be plain talker s(if you
were going to die they would let you know that the case did not deserve spending
on medicine but rather saving for the funeral). There was also Dr. Yvonne
Sylvain, Haiti's first female physician, an outstanding  gynecologist  who
mounted a campaign to educate  other physicians and the public about the need for
regular papsmears, and who went as far as convincing factory owners of the
seventies  to pay for this necessary test in the prevention of cervical cancer for
their female wokers.
    Haiti needs to recognize  those Haitian doctors who said "no thank you"
to American green cards and wealth which were easily acquired in the sixties
and seventies .  Those who stayed and worked with the poor, and taught at the
medical school, and volunteered at the general hospital and other clinics
despite Duvalierist infiltration, threats,  humiliations, and injustice .  They also
managed to love and take good care of their families.  It is unfair of some
Americans to continuously state that Haiti's educated class is a morally
repugnant elite.  There are repugnant behaviors in Haiti but there are and there
always were "bourgeois" who love Haiti and  stay there by choice because they
know that their work matters much more at home than in the developped countries.
Dr. Farmer is one among many,. It is good that some Americans feel a
responsibility towards the poverty next door.  It continues to be mind-boggling to get
on a plane in Miami's luxury and land in Haiti less than 2 hours later.  How
can the world permit such a stark contrast.  In this 21st century, we know
that those in charge  in Haiti are familiar with what the rest of the world is
like because they have traveled a lot.  Haiti doesn't need to be like Miami but
we would hope that if Dr. Farmer wants to be the world's conscience he should
also try to be the conscience of his friendly Lavalas party(isn't he on their
board? See www.desk.nl/~haiti-if/ngo/arist-1.html).  They are the ones who
should feel responsible for not providing the basic necessities of clean water,
food, school, work, and health to Haitian families.  If Haitian governments
did their jobs, Dr. Farmer and Dr. Mellon's work would come more as supplement,
instead of often feeling like band-aids on cancer sores.  Haiti's most common
ailments are due to dirty water, malnutrition, lack of toilets, lack of
education and other public health preventive measures.  Dr. Farmer should not just
be an example  for Americans who want to help.  He should be letting his
friends in the government  know that their duty is to do better.  There are no
excuses for the current  mess.