Solving problems once and for all

It feels so good to fix a problem once and for all. I dream one day that we’ll have electricity 24/7, paved roads all over the country, running water in all households, well-equipped ERs and hospitals in all cities and towns, and schools…How can we achieve those dreams? It will take one problem at a time, one solution at a time, one fix at a time. We have big problems, we need big solutions. Thirty months after the January 12th earthquake, where are the big solutions and the big projects? Instead, we have small projects that only make a dent to our problems.
The National Palace is still on its knees; same thing for the Cathedral, the University
Hospital, the government buildings, the state university buildings, and downtown Port-au-Prince. I know the government has big plans; it is then a problem of money? Then we need to borrow money, plenty of it, and fast. Let’s have no more small projects or patch-ups. Let’s go big for a change. Well, it’s easy to say all that, knowing not all the intricacies involved in moving the state apparatus, but that’s what is needed. And may all Haitians do the same in their neck of the woods: solving problems once and for all.

For example at the Carrefour Feuilles clinic, we needed a reliable source of electricity to run lab tests. For weeks, we kept turning patients away, while waiting for EDH (the state-run electricity company) and an inverter to get fixed. Then one day, we decide to buy a brand new generator. Since then, we have electricity at will and start again running lab tests.

One problem at the Pernier clinic is running water, which is a must in any clinical setting. This week we plan to buy a water pump and solve this problem once and for all. Another one is dust invasion from our unpaved street. One lasting solution is paving the road, which is beyond our mandate. The government’s road maintenance has our street in their plans; let’s hope they get to it. But, in the meantime, we’ll consider short-term solutions (oh we hate them), such as watering the street two to three times a day. But, to do so, we’ll need water…