"In 1968 when I was a surgical resident, there was an opportunity to take off in our third year and volunteer in a hospital in Haiti. My wife and I decided we would go with our two children, and we spent three months there. It was a very good experience, but it was challenging. The equipment was minimal. The people were great, but the country was very poor. There was no contact with the states… no mail. It was a very different experience and one that we very much appreciated." – John Judson, MD
Since this first visit, Dr. Judson has been drawn back to the poor island nation dozens of times—even living there for two years in the late 1990s—to volunteer at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. Now, he tries to make the trip two to four times a year.
“It’s been fascinating, and I keep going back because of the challenge, because of the need, and because of the personal satisfaction,” Dr. Judson said.
Trained as a thoracic surgeon, Dr. Judson found himself setting bones, diagnosing abdominal problems, and treating children—often because he was the only surgeon at the hospital but also because there was nowhere else to send patients.
“If they show up, we have to do whatever we can. We’ve learned to take care of some pretty serious problems in an efficient manner, but the outcomes are not always as good as we expect in the US,” Dr. Judson said.
Since 1968, the facilities at the hospital have improved. Dr. Judson said he now has two good operating rooms, an Internet connection, and cell phone service.
Outside the hospital is a different story. Until the recent election of a president who has promised peace, the country had fallen into lawlessness. Even during those uncertain times, Dr. Judson kept returning to Haiti.
“People ask why I go all the way down there when there are so many needs in our country, but people don’t understand how desperate the needs are in a place like Haiti. You can always go to an emergency room in the US even if you don’t have money. In Haiti, you can have all the money in the world, but most often you won’t find an open emergency room,” Dr. Judson said.