Haiti Medical Teams Treat Injured Amidst Coordination Challenges

Medical aid groups including Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health and InSTEDD continue to be overwhelmed by earthquake victims in need of serious medical treatments. Organizations say communication and supply problems are making things more difficult, NPR reports.

"Our doctors think we probably have a backlog of 10 to 12 days' worth of surgery," says Jason Cone of Doctors Without Borders. "There's an incredible number of people who still need to have amputations done."

Treating victims in crumbling buildings and tents, organizations are fighting to keep a constant stream of necessary medical supplies. But while some clinics have been overwhelmed by survivors seeking help, other medical efforts are below capacity.

"They're not going as fast as they can," says NPR's Joanne Silberner, who is embedded with that DMAT group in a clinic in central Port-au-Prince that normally treats HIV/AIDS patients. "They could see more people. Not that many people have come because not that many people know about it."

Read the full story about how aid teams are responding at NPR.org.