DocTort and the Other Robots

"Behind the fog, the dirt, once you clean it, we did a great job [in Haiti]. The people were very thankful when we left". Dr. Pedro Tort, Orthopedist.

El Nuevo Día Newspaper Reads Today:

The publication of photos on the internet, where Puerto Rican doctors [helping in Haiti] are posing with alcoholic beverages [and weapons in their hands], coffins, [as well as photos of naked] injured patients, resulted in the destitution of a renown politic [who is also a medical doctor], caused domestic and international outrage and could result, in the worst case, in the dismissal of the doctors involved.

This group of Puerto Rican doctors never imagined that the photos taken during their stay of four days in the Dominican town of Jimani, on the border with Haiti, would be posted around the world and earn them the condemnation. Some [doctors] asked for forgiveness.

Translated from: By Alba Y. Muñiz Gracia / amuniz@elnuevodia.com

There is no doubt in my mind that the medical doctors, sent by the Senate of Puerto Rico to relieve the pain of at least a few patients--of the thousands of people who are still awaiting to be seen-- had good intentions and used their best knowledge with the least resources. They definitely proved their skills in Surgery, Orthopedics, and General Medicine.

Unfortunately, that's not enough. Earning a Medical Doctor diploma requires a lot of knowledge: Biology, Chemistry, Math, Anatomy. Anybody that is either intelligent or persistent enough can learn all that at the Medical School. Common sense, on the other hand, as well as empathy, and ethics are learned well before someone even enters the University. Values are learned through the process of socialization. Without them, a Medical Doctor would be nothing but a state-of-the-art symptom-checking-disease-treating machine. A Robot. Dr. Robot.

Most people, when looking for a Medical Doctor for routine exams or treatment of a chronic condition, will decide for a professional who, not only is knowledgeable, but also empathic. This is important for patients, especially when they are in danger of death.

Over my 10 years of working for the San Juan Health Department (1992-2002), I learned to respect the Medical Profession. The San Juan AIDS Program started in 1994 with the mission of giving the best medical care available to the medical indigent patients of the San Juan Metropolitan Area. There I worked very close to the Medical Director and his staff. They were special people. Even though I've been away from them for a long time, I can still remember their quality.

• They took their jobs seriously. Back then, many people were prejudiced against AIDS patients. These doctors were not. They weren't scared and really wanted to make a difference. They wanted to evolve both professionally and personally. Doctor Candelario Sosa, the visiting physician, and his staff of two nurses would drive to the homes of patients who were too sick to come to the clinic, even though it meant going into the worst neighborhoods.
  




• They were bright. They could explain the most difficult diagnoses and illnesses in plain language, and could give the best advice ever.
  




• They were patient. Long ago, being an AIDS patient meant having a death sentence. (Fortunately, it is no longer so). The San Juan AIDS Program medical staff were prepared to help patients in crisis; they understood human nature and never (ever) believed they were superior to anyone else.
  




• They knew the patients by name. It didn't matter to them whether the patient was infected with HIV as a result of intravenous drug abuse: this patient was a valuable person and deserved respect.
  




• They kept up to date with the latest scientific breakthroughs. There was even a Clinical Trials Unit at the Program.
  




• They listened.This allowed them to understand what it is like to have AIDS; what the side effects of medications feel like, individually (not from a book). But most important, it allowed the doctors to encourage AIDS patients to pursue their dreams in an era where it was so hard to be so sick.
  

Unfortunately for the Haitian, they had no choices. They couldn't say "I want to be seen by Dr. Jones or Dr. Smith, because he is so kind." They had no choice but allowing DocTort and the other Robots perform surgeries one after another, because if they did not, they would die. Death was imminent. They even thanked DocTort for not allowing them to die. «Merci de ne pas me laisser mourir"

On the other hand, DocTort and his colleagues thought it was so much fun to take pictures of a naked young woman lying on a stretcher, or appear on photos while pointing to caskets and laughing, or holding amputated, necrotic limbs as if they were toys. Aha. Medical practice should be 0% foggy, Mr. DocTort. There should be absolutely nothing to be cleaned.

Help That Does Not Arrive

Image via Wikipedia

NOTE: This article appeared on El Nuevo Día on January 20th. It was written by Silverio Perez, a local entertainer, musician, engineer, singer and motivational writer. He also supports the independence ideology in Puerto Rico.





Even if I do not agree with the writer's political ideals (I believe Puerto Rico should become a state of the nation), or the tone of his writing, I do agree with the essence of what he has written. It hurt, because what is being said is hard to admit. I love the U.S., consider it my homeland. It made me think about what the grandiosity of a nation should really be. Thank you, Silverio, for this article. I believe it is edifying.





Thanks to the Fathers of our Nation, who created a democratic system of government, in which we can all express our feelings, make public criticism or simply point out what is wrong. God Bless America and all the readers.





Spanish to English translation by: http://www.translate.google.com/ Final translation revised and edited by MOI...



Original Source El Nuevo Día: http://www.elnuevodia.com/columna/661586/





Title: The help does not arrive








No. It's not because of the violence of desperate Haitians that relief, antibiotics, doctors and food has not arrived where it is needed. It is simply because the "civilized" world, lead by the U.S., [just] doesn't know how to help.





[The US leaders] know how to invade, how to attack, how to control nations and peoples, but when it comes to helping and aiding the helpless, urgently moving [to a devastated area] they are illiterate.





They tangle in a sea of procedures and bureaucracies; people die while they are trying to figure out what to do [every time] military orders are not [specifically] given.





The shameful situation faced by George Bush with Katrina is now happening with [President] Obama. He has the best of intentions, but when trying to execute [anything] he is undermined by the permanent military government and bureaucrats who swallow [any intentions to help].





Despair has taken over the streets of Port au Prince. Anderson Cooper, who has become the conscience of the true American people, has been for days on CNN asking why help does not arrive. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, also of CNN, has transformed from a reporter to an emergency surgeon and the world can see on his face the outrage at the lack of doctors who are waiting on the border or at the airport for someone to give them orders to start doing something.





The inability of the United Nations and the United States in organizing aid to a country in which the physical and political structures have collapsed is shameful. Simply, they can't figure out how to rescue others on time.





How come we don't see in this [Haitian] scenario the magnificent helicopters we see every time we watch a movie, or the news about the Afghan or Iraq invasions, but this time bringing the needed help, medications, food, shelter and medical personnel? How is it possible that the armies have not been able, after a week of tragedy, to repair roads and airports to facilitate the arrival of help?





No. It is not the violence in Haiti which delays the help, as the press says today. It is the inability to function in times of peace, [since the American nation is] accustomed only to the war. Let's denounce this inability, with all the strength of our throat, so it does not happen again.

End of Article.