Despite an influx of humanitarian aid, in the form of food, medical supplies, and doctors and nurses, one group estimates that up to 20,000 Haitians are dying a day as they languish without proper surgery and treatment. “There are still thousands of patients with major fractures, major wounds, that have not been treated yet,” Dr. Eduardo de Marchena, a University of Miami cardiologist overseeing a tent hospital near the airport, told the Times. “There are people, many people, who are going to die unless they’re treated.” The paper reports that for many of the suffering, the only hope is to leave Haiti entirely and get airlifted to a hospital ship off the coast — or to American hospitals in Florida.
At the same time that stricken earthquake victims are being flown here for medical treatment, the United States government is preparing to grant temporary protected status to up to 200,000 Haitians. To earn the status, visitors will need to prove that they were in the United States before the earthquake. If they can, they may stay in the United States for eighteen months and will be issued work permits so that they can get jobs here.
200,000 Haitian migrants could file for Temporary Protected Status [Miami Herald]
Nightmare in Haiti: Untreated Illness and Injury [NYT]
