Order of Malta Worldwide Relief-- Malteser International Americas: Earthquake Haiti: Malteser International takes charge of health post in Leogane Further sectors of relief: Water, sanitation and hygiene

Earthquake Haiti:

Malteser International takes charge of health post in Leogane

Further sectors of relief: Water, sanitation and hygiene

January 29, 2010

Port-au-Prince/Cologne. Today, the team of Malteser International, the relief service of the Order of Malta for worldwide humanitarian aid, has taken over the health post in Leogane from their Argentinean partners; they had already been working together in the camp since last week. The currently 8-strong team, consisting of medical doctors, nurses, a midwife and a paramedic, provides basic medical assistance in the camp and the surrounding areas. In addition, the team will support urgently needed vaccination campaigns. According to reports of the World Health Organisation some cases of tetanus have occurred as well as suspicions of measles though this has not been confirmed yet.

„The conditions in the camp are still rudimentary, patients have to lie on the floor”, Beate Maass, humanitarian coordinator of Malteser International, explains. There is also an urgent need of latrines for the patients as well as a need for means of transport. “When we arrived at the camp this morning complications arose during a birth. So we had to transport the pregnant woman to the nearest hospital using the rented car of Malteser International. In the hospital, the baby was born by Caesarean section,” Maas reports. Their partner organisation ArcheNova is going to build makeshift latrines for the patients in the camp.

To improve the supply of water and sewage and to avoid the outbreak of epidemics, Malteser International will bring two water treatment plants to the crisis region financed by the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Each of these is able to produce 6,000 litres of water which allows providing 8,000 people with sufficient drinking water daily. Furthermore Malteser International is going to start with hygiene and health promotion campaigns within the next few days.

Malteser International is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta for humanitarian aid. The organisation provides aid in about 200 projects in more than 20 countries without distinction of religion, race or political persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence are the foundation of its work. For further information: www.malteser-international.org and www.orderofmalta.org