At no time did the UN order any medical team to leave their work sites in PaP. If any medical personnel evacuated it was at the request of their own organization.
In response to troubling reports that the UN ordered doctors to leave a field hospital in Haiti (including a front page feature on CNN.com), here's an official statement Dispatch just received:
UN Foundation Vice President of Global Health Dr. Daniel Carucci traveled to Haiti to deliver vital medical supplies and will continue to assess the situation on the ground.
From the UN Foundation:
Two days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, UN Foundation Vice President of Global Health Dr. Daniel Carucci traveled to Haiti to deliver vital medical supplies and will continue to assess the situation on the ground.
The United Nations has launched two social networking sites to keep friends, families and colleagues of UN staff in Haiti up to date on the latest news.
The United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support have launched two social networking sites to keep friends, families and colleagues of UN staff in Haiti up to date on the latest news.
A note from a World Food Program specialist offers some insight into the logistical challenges facing rescue workers in Haiti
This note from a World Food Program worker in Haiti, posted to an internal WFP message board (and reprinted with permission, via ), offers some insights into the logistical challenges facing rescue workers. The author's name is Pierre Petry.
Bill Clinton has raised $2.6 million from 30,000 donors in the last 24 hours. He will also likely be tapped to play a major fund raising role for the UN.
As I said in my Daily Beast item, one of the best things that Haiti has going for it right now is Bill Clinton. Last spring, the Secretary General tapped the former president to be his special envoy for Haiti.
Sending aid to Haiti isn’t the only thing we can do to help the country. We can also help Haitians help themselves.
Sending aid to Haiti isn’t the only thing we can do to help the country. We can also help Haitians help themselves. The US could grant Haitians in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS). It’s a kind of temporary immigration relief offered to countries that have suffered severe disasters. TPS lets nationals of the disaster-hit country apply for work authorization, allows them to travel outside the US, and prevents them from deportation.
A chilling video of a rescue attempt at the MINUSTAH headquarters.
See this post for a statement from the acting MINUSTAH spokesperson. Â As of noon, a UN official said at least 50-100 people were still trapped in the rubble.
MSF says all hospitals are unusable. OCHA Chief says 50-100 people still trapped in the rubble of the UN HQ. First statement from MINUSTAH. Continuous updates.
On a conference call with Medicines sans Frontiere moments ago, a representative in Haiti said that all of the hospitals to which it would normally refer patients have either collapsed or are otherwise unusable. All MSF can do at the moment is administer first aid. There are no "referral" options for secondary care beyond first aid, but MSF is exploring options to deploy a "floating hospital" to Haiti. Â
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake just hit Haiti. Some Twitter accounts to follow and continuous updates. Reports that UN Peacekeeping HQ is destroyed. Continuous updates.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake just hit Haiti. Details so far are sketchy. Twitter is probably your best source for now. In the meantime, it is worth recalling that Haiti is still recovering from back to back to back hurricaines in 2008. It is also a very densly populated island.Â
Alanna's post below underscores the unique role played by the International Committee for the Red Cross in Afghanistan. It is among the few NGOs not targeted by the Taliban.
