Monday, February 18th
Ray Schmidt
The 7-member GE team arrived yesterday and this morning we headed to the hospital to begin the installation. Over 100 pieces of medical equipment had been taken to the 5th floor where the neonatal unit is located. The unit was so packed with equipment it was difficult to move around for a while until we unpacked the equipment and cleared out all the packing debris.
We actually have a 9-member team if you count Oscar, our driver, guard and translator. Oscar is very eager to help wherever and however he can. He not only drives me around or translates, but at the hospital today he worked until he was exhausted. He unpacked crates, cleaned up all the packing materials, ran errands, and anything else he could find to do.
He kept saying, “You help my people and I want to help too.”
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Honduras: Medical Equipment Carcasses
Sunday, February 17Ray Schmidt
I was down in the basement of the Escuela Hospital (pictured) when I came across a hallway filled with broken medical equipment. The halls were lined with infant warmers, incubators, anesthesia machines and other medical equipment. I know some of the equipment had just reached the end of its life and was being used for spare parts. But some of the equipment had been donated by well-intented organizations and individuals without being checked out before shipment.
In my ten years with Assist International I have seen many such hallways of equipment carcasses. Sometimes the equipment does not work in the first place; sometimes none of the accessories needed to use the equipment were provided; sometimes manuals were not provided and no one knew how to use the equipment. There are many reasons but the result is the same: disappointed hospitals that thought they would be getting equipment that would really help their patients but now just have a hallway filled with useless pieces of metal and plastic.
Assist International will only donate new or fully refurbished medical equipment and then we install it and warranty it for a full year—though we usually continue support long after that period. One of the great things about partnering with GE on medical projects is that the equipment that is donated is new. The equipment is then installed by GE technicians and training is provided by expert GE clinicians. Finally, all that equipment is guaranteed so if the hospital has any problems with it, we will fix it.
Assist International will only donate new or fully refurbished medical equipment and then we install it and warranty it for a full year—though we usually continue support long after that period. One of the great things about partnering with GE on medical projects is that the equipment that is donated is new. The equipment is then installed by GE technicians and training is provided by expert GE clinicians. Finally, all that equipment is guaranteed so if the hospital has any problems with it, we will fix it.
Honduras: Close Call
By Ray Schmidt
The next morning (Feb. 16th), I arrived again at the customs office at 8:30 with our clearing agent. We were clearing the most critical piece of electrical equipment that day. There were two electrical panels that were air freighted from the U.S. on Tuesday and arrived on Thursday, Feb. 14. Most of the clearing process was completed yesterday. All we needed was a signature on a document, pay a handling charge, and then pick up the items. We were first in line and the customs officer said that he would sign our document as soon as it was found. The office filed it yesterday but this morning no one could find it. Ninety minutes later it was found. Now we just needed the officer to sign it, but no one could find him.
A little later we found him but he was in the middle of something and would sign our document as soon as he was done. “Give me ten minutes” is something we heard a dozen times today. It’s getting closer to noon—that’s when the customs office closes for the day. We can see this officer through the window and he is working diligently on some other paperwork. Every time he stands up, a dozen clearing agents jump to the window shaking the papers they need signed. Each time he sits down and starts on another set of documents.
11:45AM: Agents become very restless and begin yelling.
11:50AM: Half of the agents still in line give up and leave.
11:55 AM: The officer stands up and comes to the window. We push through the others and stick our piece of paper in front of him to sign. He glances at it and signs. We run to the payment counter, pay the small handling charge, and then sprint to the loading dock. Noon, straight up. We’re good now. Fifteen minutes later our stuff is loaded on a small truck and we are headed to the hospital where the electricians can install the panels today and tomorrow, and we’ll be ready to go on Monday.
It was a close call.
The next morning (Feb. 16th), I arrived again at the customs office at 8:30 with our clearing agent. We were clearing the most critical piece of electrical equipment that day. There were two electrical panels that were air freighted from the U.S. on Tuesday and arrived on Thursday, Feb. 14. Most of the clearing process was completed yesterday. All we needed was a signature on a document, pay a handling charge, and then pick up the items. We were first in line and the customs officer said that he would sign our document as soon as it was found. The office filed it yesterday but this morning no one could find it. Ninety minutes later it was found. Now we just needed the officer to sign it, but no one could find him.
A little later we found him but he was in the middle of something and would sign our document as soon as he was done. “Give me ten minutes” is something we heard a dozen times today. It’s getting closer to noon—that’s when the customs office closes for the day. We can see this officer through the window and he is working diligently on some other paperwork. Every time he stands up, a dozen clearing agents jump to the window shaking the papers they need signed. Each time he sits down and starts on another set of documents.
11:45AM: Agents become very restless and begin yelling.
11:50AM: Half of the agents still in line give up and leave.
11:55 AM: The officer stands up and comes to the window. We push through the others and stick our piece of paper in front of him to sign. He glances at it and signs. We run to the payment counter, pay the small handling charge, and then sprint to the loading dock. Noon, straight up. We’re good now. Fifteen minutes later our stuff is loaded on a small truck and we are headed to the hospital where the electricians can install the panels today and tomorrow, and we’ll be ready to go on Monday.
It was a close call.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Honduran Customs
February 15Ray Schmidt
The medical team will start the installation of equipment on Monday, Feb. 18. But before we can begin, all the equipment has to get to the hospital. The most important is the final electrical items that need to be installed over the weekend so that the medical team will have power on Monday. And that means that I get to experience Honduran Customs up close, such as import/export, duties and Customs Office.
Today I spent all day at the Customs office (pictured) in Tegucigalpa with the clearing agent from the Ministry of Health (MOH). One of the agreements with the MOH is that all the donated items will be exempted from customs charges. That means the MOH has to get clearance from the Ministry of Finance, and then the Customs office signs off on it and then we can get the equipment delivered to the hospitals. While most of the equipment had gone through this process there were a few late arriving pieces that still needed go through this. I went along to encourage our clearing agent and to pay any handling charges, minor fees, and truck rental. This would save us the hassle of having to go back to the MOH to cover these expenses and speed up the process.
We arrived at 8:30 AM and left at 5 PM. We were able to get three of the remaining six shipments cleared and delivered. This is the second time that I’ve gone through this process in Honduras, and I still haven’t quite got it figured out. There are at least six different stations you have to go to. Sometimes you just need a signature, or have to pay a small fee, or fill out some paperwork. It all has to be done sequentially. And if one of the officials from whom you need a signature decides to take an early lunch, you’re stuck. Now picture about 100 other clearing agents trying to go through this same process. It can get very frenzied.
But we managed to get six UPS batteries, each the size of a freezer and weighing 2,500 lbs., delivered to the Escuela Hospital so that the electricians could install them.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hondurus: Landing in Teacup
By Ray SchmidtI’m excited to go back to Honduras—even though it is Valentine’s Day. We are partnering with GE on another project that will have a great impact in that country. We are donating and installing medical equipment for a 65-bed neonatal care unit. This includes a 10-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a 25-bed intermediate care unit, and a 30-bed neonatal ward. In addition, the electrical system for the entire unit was upgraded and we added a power supply (UPS) system that cannot be interupted. The UPS will keep the power surges, brown outs and black outs from damaging the equipment.
The Escuela Hospital had over 15,000 births last year. The average stay after a mother gives birth is 8 hours. The hospital just doesn’t have the room to keep mothers and their babies any longer than that unless there are complications.
I arrived this afternoon in Tegucigalpa (Tegus for short) and the landing was quite exciting. Approaching the airport requires a lot of turns and adjustments by the pilot and then a quick drop and landing followed by a slamming on the brakes. It was quite intense. One of the passengers commented that it’s like “landing in a teacup.” I went to Youtube and watched several clips of airplanes landing at the Tegus airport. I now see why the landing was so exciting.
The Escuela Hospital had over 15,000 births last year. The average stay after a mother gives birth is 8 hours. The hospital just doesn’t have the room to keep mothers and their babies any longer than that unless there are complications.
I arrived this afternoon in Tegucigalpa (Tegus for short) and the landing was quite exciting. Approaching the airport requires a lot of turns and adjustments by the pilot and then a quick drop and landing followed by a slamming on the brakes. It was quite intense. One of the passengers commented that it’s like “landing in a teacup.” I went to Youtube and watched several clips of airplanes landing at the Tegus airport. I now see why the landing was so exciting.
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