Sometimes you need a reminder

about why we do what we do.  Recently we received  a pair of emails that did just that.  One was sent by a friend of a Haitian woman, M. who was sick and wound up at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince. 
"It is very tempting to give a play by play of events but in an attempt to be brief -  patients stay for free at the hospital with the idea that they pay for daily examinations and keep up on necessary prescriptions. There is a terrible bathroom provided (I saw it) but no one uses it. Most people have chamber pots next to their cots. Sheets, blankets, pillows and hospital gowns are provided by the patient. M. kept her blood samples on ice in a cooler next to her bed- which was also provided by herself and/or benefactors. Basically if you needed it, you brought it or bought it. When her husband went to talk to the doctor, M. pulled me to her ear and told me that she could not handle being in the hospital any longer. The conditions were terrible and she was afraid of catching something that would kill her while in her vulnerable state. Each cot was about 2 feet apart and in a large room separated only by a nurses station. It resembled a military hospital inasmuch as the density of patients gathered in a single room. Patients were even laying on the ground.... (The hospital doctor)  said that even though he provides care, he is not responsible for anything except for words. He writes prescriptions and does examinations. ...  I inquired about getting M. out of the hospital so that she may live at home until her operation. He agreed and wrote her 2 prescriptions to take home. As we began to gather her things, people started to bicker about who would receive her bed. This caused us to leave in a timely fashion and M. was happy to be gone."

In contrast, the second email was a brief note to our administrator from one of our interns:

"I also wanted to thank you for making my stay at Visitation Clinic very comfortable and pleasant. Your concern for all guests there including me was much appreciated. Your hospitality humbled me. The staff at the clinic was so nice and I appreciate the fact that they went out of their way to make me feel one with everyone else.   ... I was very impressed to see a clinic that provides good health care in rural Haiti. I am sure that the quality of care provided is exceptional and that people are very happy to have the clinic. I sincerely hope that the clinic expands and starts multiple services for people. I see that the work that you do is appreciated in the community and I do hope that continues forever."