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Dr. Yee went to Haiti
with 16 other healthcare workers of Global Health Outreach, a short-term
missions program of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA), to
provide medical and dental care to the residents in the town of Mirebalais.
Haiti
is considered one of the poorest countries in the world with 75% of the
population living in poverty and more than half the population living on less
than a dollar a day. At the time of our visit, the impoverished nation was still in a
state of rebuilding since a devastating earthquake hit the country in 2010.
We set up our clinic in classrooms of a local
church school.
People lined up early in the morning for free medical exams,
tooth extractions, and reading glasses.
Nurses did preliminary exams and then referred patients to
the appropriate doctors for care.
As Christians, many of us offered prayers for God’s blessing
and hope for their future.
The rooms were simple and did not have much lighting or
electricity. But it kept us out of the hot sun and allowed us to work as long
as we did.
Dr. Yee saw many patients needing extractions for severely
decayed teeth.
But it was nice when Dr. Yee was able to see some kids for
just a simple checkup.
Haitians speak French-based Creole and it was helpful to have
interpreters Jimmy and Ricardo translate for us.
The end of the day was always the best time - that is when we
get to hang out with the children. We made balloon hats as our souvenirs for
them.
The dental team: Dr. Yee, Dr. Woo, and Dr. Lee.