AMERICA/HAITI - “Haiti was already an extremely poor country before the earthquake. Now we are desperate,” says Fr. Lovera, Director of the “Saint Camille” Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – The Camillian Missionaries are at the forefront in the earthquake tragedy. Fr. Lovera is the Director of the "Saint Camille" Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince, that in these hours was literally besieged by parents who wanted to save their children. "The situation is dramatic,” said Fr. Lovera. “The earthquake was terrible. The hospital, which had even been constructed according to earthquake regulations, has suffered serious damage. However, not enough to block the activity of our doctors and our sisters. There are dozens of children to care for in the rooms that we use for visits and for hospital stays. We could accommodate up to 100 patients, but now there are 300-400 with us. Do not forget that Haiti was a poor country even before the earthquake. Now we are desperate." Lovera father adds: "The force of the earthquake has leveled the walls. Beds, cupboards, even the dentist's chair were thrown out of the building by the earthquake. In the city, everything is destroyed, leveled to the ground, crumbled. It is not known how many survivors there are... There is no food, there is no water and it is really a tragedy." The Camilliani's mission in Port-au-Prince has a hospital, a nutrition center, and a center for disabled children from 0 to 18 years of age.
The Foundation Onlus PRO.SA NGO, has begun a campaign in support of the Pediatric Hospital "St. Camille "at Port-au-Prince, run by the Camillian Missionaries. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 15/1/2010)