“My child, he’s coughing, has fever, and stop eating!” This young mother in Angola, Africa held in her arms a four-year-old. His fast breathing, dry mouth, and somnolent countenance alarmed me. The year was 2020. Was her boy suffering from pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis? Could it be Covid-19? At the beginning of the pandemic, many pressing […]
“I’m already giving you all I can,” was his reply to a man begging at the house. As a young doctor, I was with SIM in the world’s very poorest nation: Burkina Faso, West Africa. It was Ken Elliot speaking, an Australian physician living and serving in Burkina since 1972. In his austere, desert town
Healthcare for forgotten people is punctuated by professionals who inspire their younger associates to consider similar careers. INMED is honored to recognize such quality professionals by announcing these recipients of the INMED Awards at the 2023 Humanitarian Health Conference, June 9-10 in Kansas City, Missouri. Introducing David Vanderpool, 2023 International Medicine Award recipient. In 2010,
Low-resource, cross-cultural healthcare will test your skills to the extreme. Begin by eliminating the options of comprehensive laboratory testing, advanced imaging, or even specialty consultations. Would you be able to care for these three patients correctly? 1. You are volunteering at a safety net clinic in Oklahoma City and seeing Erasto – a
Albert Schweitzer is one of international health’s most fascinating personalities. Born in on the border between France and Germany in 1875, by age 30 Schweitzer distinguished himself with advanced accomplishments in theology, philosophy and music. Most notably, Schweitzer transposed Bach’s renowned compositions from orchestra to organ, and traveled throughout Europe with the Paris Bach
The earth would occasionally rumble under my feet as a child living with my grandmother in Greece. We ran outside of her brick home; fearful it would collapse and kill us. One month ago, just 400 miles away in Turkey and Syria, earthquakes did indeed collapse thousands of homes, instantly killing 50,000 people –
Last week, Jimmy Carter – 39th US President 1977-1981 – entered hospice care at age 98. Post-presidency, Carter focused his energies on distinguished humanitarian pursuits: launching Habitat for Humanity, negotiating cessation of international conflicts, instructing biblical truths, and leading the march to eradicate a human infection. Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm infection, is a parasitic disease
“Over the last year and one-half I have set foot in four continents, been a part of five conferences, lost a few team mates, welcomed others, and spoken languages I haven’t used in years. Captured below is a summary of the last few months in pictures. May you be blessed to see what the Lord
What great advances in international health have resulted from research? Measles vaccine, HIV drugs, malaria bed nets, tobacco controls, basic newborn resuscitation, to name a few. But profound international health challenges remain that can only be vanquished through continued scientific investigation. Some of these challenges include the quests for more effective tuberculosis vaccines, successful
This provocative question evokes sentiments of national pride, social justice, and personal experiences. It’s also a pivotal question, influencing the design and resources for healthcare. A compelling follow up to “Who has the very best healthcare?” is to clarify, “By what criteria shall we judge quality of healthcare?” Consider the following benchmarks: Cost. Health