Serving the Great Physician

Volunteer medical professionals are treating dozens of patients each day in a quake-affected neighborhood

Word spread quickly through the slums of Cite Soleil. A medical clinic with friendly doctors and “good medicine” had opened in front of the big church down along the main road that runs east out of Port-au-Prince.

After the earthquake, Samaritan’s Purse cleared tons of rubble and refurbished the Cite Soleil clinic. It is staffed with volunteer Christian doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical personnel who typically serve on two-week rotations. More than 10,300 people have been treated at the clinic in the six months since the disaster.

Every morning, scores of people line up outside. Critical cases are taken first, and up to 100 others are processed and treated throughout the day.

An 8-year-old girl named Roselene sat alone on one of the long, concrete benches outside the clinic with a vacant look in her eyes. An attendant touched her forehead and found it burning with fever. He also noticed a deep scar that ran from her hairline, down to her left eye.

The scar was a lifelong reminder of the day the earthquake struck, hurling a piece of concrete into Roselene’s face.

“You’re a beautiful girl,” the attendant said. “We’ll have the doctor take a look in a minute.”

A young mother brought her 5-year-old son, Lourbens, to the clinic to be treated for a bad cold. Dr. Kara Gibson, the medical projects manager for Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti, had other concerns.

“There have been outbreaks of diphtheria in the area” Dr. Gibson said. “This child also has a heart murmur.”

What began as an emergency medical response has continued far beyond the initial disaster. People living in the slums of Port-au-Prince and in scattered shelter communities throughout the region were still seriously underserved.

“We need more doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to join us,” Dr. Gibson said. “We have the standing clinic here in Citi Soleil, three mobile clinics, and plans to have a fourth mobile unit that visits more remote areas, like in the mountains. We need more people to come serve with us.”

As part of every consultation, the attending physician and a Christian interpreter ask about the patient’s spiritual health, pray with them, and share the Gospel with those in need.

“It’s wonderful to see people leave the clinic with their medical needs met, and sometimes with a new heart because of accepting Christ,” Dr. Gibson said. “It makes it all worth it.”

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

PRAY:

For Haitians still trying to rebuild their lives six months after the earthquake.

For God to grant strength and endurance for Samaritan's Purse medical teams working in Haiti.

That the patients at the Citi Soleil clinic will come to know and love the Great Physician, Jesus Christ

GIVE:

Please visit our donation page to help us continue to meet the needs of earthquake victims in Haiti.

GET INVOLVED:

If you are a Christian physician, nurse, or pharmacist interested in serving, please contact World Medical Mission and Morgann Greene for more information and an application.

Samaritan's Purse , Haiti , Help for Haiti , Serving the Great Physician