Finnish Red Cross to send aid to Haiti in the wake of recent earthquake

Finnish Red Cross to send aid to Haiti in the wake of recent earthquake On the morning of 14 August, Haiti experienced a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake. More than 2,200 people died and more than 12,000 people were injured. Approximately 130,000 buildings were damaged. The earthquake continues to affect the lives of a million Haitians. A state of emergency has been declared in the country. You can monitor the progress of the Red Cross aid operation and learn more about the situation on this page.

The Finnish Red Cross is sending a field hospital to Haiti

The hospital supports the international aid operation in Haiti, where humanitarian aid is needed urgently in this very challenging situation.
On and after 28 August, a team of experts in several fields will be leaving for Haiti to review the scope and tasks of the field hospital.

The Finnish Red Cross will deploy a medical expert, technician and team leader to support the team.

“Healthcare services in Haiti are strained and access to healthcare is poor.
Hospitals and health centres have been destroyed and damaged, and staff are forced to care for patients outdoors,” says the Director of International Operations at the Finnish Red Cross, Tiina Saarikoski.

“In addition to those injured in the earthquake, people with chronic illnesses, anyone falling ill during the crisis and pregnant women and mothers in labour need healthcare services,” Saarikoski continues.

The field hospital provided by the Finnish Red Cross offers both basic healthcare and specialised medical services.

The field hospital is equipped to treat patients in the fields of surgery, internal diseases, children’s diseases, communicable diseases, gynaecology and maternity care.

The hospital’s support services include laboratory and X-ray services, physical therapy and psychosocial support services.

The Canadian Red Cross supports the field hospital by sending aid workers and supplies as well as funds. The German Red Cross also supports the operation financially.

Finnish Red Cross to send funds and aid workers

The Finnish Red Cross granted 100,000 euros to aid work in Haiti from the disaster relief fund.

We also deployed two telecommunications experts on 20 August to support the international aid operation.

They are needed in Haiti to build telecommunications networks needed for carrying out aid work.

The Red Cross started work immediately after the disaster

The approximately one thousand volunteers of the Haitian Red Cross started providing aid immediately following the earthquake.

Soon after, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also sent additional aid workers to the site to provide aid and assess the scale of the destruction.

The aid work is being hindered by the severely damaged infrastructure, the country’s COVID-19 situation and unrest.

According to the Haitian government, the country is first and foremost in need of first aid and medical supplies.

“Hospitals, homes, schools, bridges and roads have been destroyed.
People have been injured and left homeless.
Local health care services are severely overwhelmed and difficult to access.
The situation is extremely dire,” says the Director of International Operations at the Finnish Red Cross, Tiina Saarikoski.

The Red Cross is assisting with rescue efforts, providing first aid and psychosocial support and working to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Red Cross has also set up a committee to help reunite families that have been split by the disaster.

You can support the aid work by donating to the Disaster Relief Fund of the Finnish Red Cross, which makes it possible to send rapid aid to locations around the world.

Funds for the Disaster Relief Fund are also collected via the annual Hunger Day collection. The collection is held in September.

Thank you for helping.