Call for Trauma and Orthopaedic Expertise in Aid to Haiti

In the aftermath of the powerful earthquake which struck Haiti and reduced many parts of the impoverished country to rubble last week, the international medical community is joining together and to organise the deployment of supplies and expertise to the devastated island.
 
This week the WHO stated that surgical care is Haiti's most urgent health need for the moment, particularly trauma surgery. Emergency specialists currently on the ground in Haiti report they are seeing the first wave of patients—those with significant open injuries, crush injuries, etc, and the next wave will be those with closed fractures requiring treatment.
 
The Bone and Joint Decade is calling upon its vast international network to consider ways and means of contributing to the current efforts. If you are a trauma or orthopaedic surgeon able to volunteer or if your hospital is in a position to help, please contact the musculoskeletal organisations in the USA which coordinating efforts:
 
Specific needs at this time include:
Personnel: particularly trauma surgeons and orthopaedists
Surgical and medical equipment: everything from disinfectant and bandages to operating room supplies and surgical and orthopaedic equipment.
 
Please take contact with the AAOS International Department, on the dedicated e-mail Haiti@aaos.org 
 
The WHO has stated that the need for trauma and orthopaedic surgeons will be continuous and long-term. A catastrophe of this size will take quite some time from which to recover.
 
You may also note that the American Association of Medical Colleges is serving as conduit for information to the academic medical community; please see www.aamc.org/haiti  for up-to-date notices, as well as links to the many relief efforts as well as a list of organisations that are accepting charitable contributions.

We would be interested to hear if your organisations have ways to help. Please email bjd@med.lu.se
Thank you for your solidarity,
Prof Lars Lidgren