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CNN is reporting that Medical staff were withdrawn from a temporary hospital for safety concerns, leaving the sick to suffer … alone.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

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Jim Vicevich

Jim is a veteran broadcaster and conservative/libertarian blogger with more than 25 years experience in TV and radio. Jim's was the long-term host of The Jim Vicevich Show on WTIC 1080 in Hartford from 2004 through 2019. Prior to radio, Jim worked as a business and financial reporter for NBC30 - the NBC owned TV station in Hartford - and as business editor at WFSB-TV in Hartford for 14 years while earning six Emmy nominations and three Telly Awards.

5 Comments

  1. donh on January 18, 2010 at 6:14 am

    You can see the " untouchables " mentality at work in many palces. Media clip showed food being handed out to some well dressed hatians at a coutry club in the hills above the city. Hillary went to Haiti just to pull some important people out. The lack of "suitable accomodations" is hindering relief efforts by the UN Copenhagen types. So hard to help the poor when there are  no swank hotels serving shrimp and caviar. I have given to the Catholic Church. They have the oldest deepest presence in Haiti and as we saw with Mother Theresa, she did not have the untouchable state of mind.



  2. Anne-EH on January 18, 2010 at 7:04 am

    The priests and nuns who take care of the Haitians are TRULY HEROES in my eyes Jim. God Bless them, as well the search and rescue people down in Haiti, they are doing the Lord's work.



  3. Anne-EH on January 18, 2010 at 7:26 am

    Jim, this is one of your best blog articles, spoken truly from the heart. Here is the URL Jim from Free Republic.
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2430866/



  4. donh on January 18, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    Al Sharpton spent MLK day taking politcal cheap shots at Pat Robertson and Joe Lieberman. He still has rather vague plans to be in Haiti some time soon with the Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean charity… .http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Sharpton-blasts-Pat-Robertson-Joe-Lieberman-in-326242.php…..The Wyclef Jean charity has been accused of scamming donation by its  extremely high ratios of "administration expenses"…. .http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/01/wyclef-jeans-haiti-charity-comes-under-fire/1……They do things like rent a media  studio in Haiti for $100,000 but then research shows Jean owns a majority stake in the radio station. They are shaking Tiger woods down for a big …but ….the  man who has a bad  rap as  a stiff  tipper by waiters and limo drivers hasn't ponied up yet , which may be stalling Al's plans.



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