Canada’s disaster relief team rushed to quake-hit Haiti without proper gear and training, a post-mission report says.
Confusion and conflicting priorities also allowed reporters to board military flights into the Caribbean nation ahead of urgent medical assistance, the report adds.
Members of the Disaster Assistance Response Team landed in Haiti without guns, ammunition and body armor, and “lost control” over what got flown into the nation, hindering the delivery of medical supplies, The Globe and Mail reports.
“In many cases critical DART stores were bumped from flights altogether,” the report says, obtained by The Canadian Press through the federal Access to Information Act. “This had a detrimental effect to DART’s ability to provide more complex medical care.”
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross’ USD3.8 million pledge for Haiti’s State University Hospital was delivered only after four months of negotiations and red tape, The Associated Press reports. Medical personnel at the hospital had not been paid since before the earthquake, prompting staffing shortages.
Clashing styles, needs and timetables led to the project’s breakdown, AP sources involved with the health scheme said.
“Haitian hospital administrators were trying to please government officials and satisfy extremely disgruntled employees while maintaining control of their institution,” AP reports.
