Alongside her Belgravia Aesthetic Medicine clinic, Dr Barbara Kubicka devotes her skills and time to help those in need in other areas of the world.
She has recently returned from a humanitarian aid trip to Haiti.
It is over 2 years now since the magnitude 7 earthquake devastated the island, taking the lives of an estimated 316,000 and injuring countless more, rendering thousands homeless. Yet reconstruction has been slow, funds insufficient and needs of the people immense.
The expedition to Haiti consisted of 20 people , including doctors, nurses, medical assistants and medical students, who were able to offer a diverse range of skills to help in Primary Care clinics in Haiti. Primary care clinics were set up in schools and saw about 1,000 people, including adults and children.
Access to any kind of healthcare is limited in Haiti at the moment, and the group saw desperate poverty and tremendous need. With many still living homeless, hygiene is problematic and diseases are able to spread. In addition, the group saw many battling with HIV.
This first expedition was 1 week long, but the group plan to return to work on a long-term project, supporting a new hospital in rural area of Haiti through teaching and educating local staff in terms of vaccination and primary care, as well as giving medical service themselves.
Dr Barbara Kubicka Haiti Medical Expedition
Dr Kubicka said: “It was heart breaking to see suffering and poverty but what is even worse is the lack of awareness of the situation.”
Barbara said: “I went through a great journey… facing quite a few challenges and personal issues… I stepped out of my comfort zone and had time for reflection. There were moments of laughter and tears, fear and frustration but I managed to grow a lot and I can especially see the difference now after coming back home and facing my “normal” life.”
“I have never been happier and ‘lighter’ before (not just that I’ve lost some weight…. though that is always a bonus!). I think that for the first time in my life I feel fully alive and content; as well as inspired by the vision of one man – the Albert Schweitzer hospital will stay in my memory for a long time!!!!
“I am not going to bore you with any further details….. and will finish with Ralph Waldo Emerson quote “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that you cannot sincerely try to help another without helping yourself.””
Haiti, 2 Years On
There are still half a million people living in makeshift camps or tents.
Haiti is still struggling to rebuild itself after the earthquake two years ago. International aid donors have delivered only about half of the funds promised for reconstruction, according to UN data – $2.38bn of the $4.5bn pledged for recovery programmes in 2010-11 has been delivered
Oxfam have warned that reconstruction is moving ahead very slowly: “Most Haitians do not have running water, a toilet or access to a doctor; cholera has claimed thousands of lives and remains a major threat to public health; and more than 70% of the workforce is under or unemployed” the report said.
According to Haiti’s president, Michel Martelly, 800,000 Haitians have no electricity, 500,000 are illiterate, only 200,000 had regular jobs and 80% were surviving on less than $2 a day.
Dr Kubicka, Aesthetic Medicine Physician
Dr Kubicka’s clinic is based at 9a Halkin Street, Belgravia, London and treats patients who live and work in West London, including Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Mayfair. She offers a wide range of cosmetic treatments, including botox anti-wrinkle injections, fillers, peels, mesotherapy and Dermaroller. Dr Barbara Kubicka also offers treatment for medical conditions such as Hyperhidrosis, Hyperpigmentation and thread veins.
For a confidential consultation with Dr Kubicka, call 0207 352 6803 or see the website for further information and contact details www.drbarbarakubicka.co.uk.