Leaving the sick to suffer

CNN is reporting that Medical staff were withdrawn from a temporary hospital for safety concerns, leaving the sick to suffer … alone.

Earthquake victims, writhing in pain and grasping at life, watched doctors and nurses walk away from a field hospital Friday night after a Belgian medical team evacuated the area, saying it was concerned about security.

The decision left CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta as the only doctor at the hospital to get the patients through the night.

Read the whole thing. It will sicken you.

This is precisely why when my family donated to the cause in Haiti we chose Catholic Relief Services.They have been there for decades, the church itself, for centuries. The nuns and priests don’t run from danger. Instead they run hospitals, schools and orphanages 24/7. They are not temporary missions but permanent parts of the Haitian people’s lives for decades on decades.

After the quake hit CRS immediately pledge $5 million. Immediately. That was more than the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the EU. No hesitation. Not remarkable really because the church is such an integral part of Haiti but one would think a commitment like that would get a little more press. The ignorance of the media is sometimes stunning. With the exception of CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta who deserves a medal.

While you may not be Catholic I urge you if you have not given, to consider CSR. It is and will be there long after all the others are gone with an extensive network of schools and hospitals. And overhead … in this case all money goes to Haiti.