It’s an impossible decision, but surgery is the only option Simcoe County health care workers have to try and save a newborn baby in Haiti.
The 7-day-old baby boy was born with congenital bowel obstruction. Doctors with Team Broken Earth weighed all their options, but in an underfunded and ill-equipped country, there isn’t many to choose from.
“If we had another choice it would be a more complex decision,” says Dr. Jim Campbell. “When there is no other choice, you do the best you can and often things often go well."
The surgery was a success, but despite efforts by Canadian and Haitian doctors, the baby died the next day. Paediatrician Dr. Bruno Jean Baptist says some circumstances were beyond their control.
"The main problem for us was the delay; the delay for the child to get to the hospital and also the delay for the parents to get the blood because this kid needed blood."
The country as a whole is facing a blood shortage. It’s largely a result of blood-borne diseases like malaria, Zika and HIV.
According to the United Nations, infant mortality in Haiti is 48 per 1,000 births. That's 10 times what it is in Canada.
"Very, very overwhelming,” says Dr. Coryn Hayman. “A lot of screaming and crying. It's very difficult to watch, especially when you are not used to it."
It was a similar story for a 7-month-old baby. The young child was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus – a medical condition that results in a fluid build-up in the skull.
In this case, the condition was not treated early enough; the little girl will not survive. All they can do now is keep her comfortable.
“I have never seen a baby with Hydrocephalus ever, maybe only in pictures,” says ICU nurse Karen Clarke.
“To see it in person, it’s the most touching thing I've seen yet.”
