This weekend INMED enjoyed the company of some 450 students and practicing healthcare professionals at the 5th Exploring Medical Missions Conference. Complementing these participants were representatives of 35 sending organization – recruiting volunteers for service opportunities among the most neglected citizens of our world. I’m particularly touched by presence of some very many “heroes […]
Have you considered helping out in Chile or Haiti? Clearly, these acute crises in health will be palpable for months to come as the nations rebuild. There exist an abundance of opportunities for you who dream of serving people in critical need, who have polished your skills, and who are now ready for action
The day following Haiti’s earthquake I received this message from Dr. Jim and Sandy Wilkins, who have served at Haiti’s Christianville Medical Clinic since 1999: “Our house fell down while we were in it. Our clinic building is half down. We worked for 24 hours straight, suturing and bracing fractures. 5 died here, 2
I am pondering that fact that healthcare professionals who want to serve the very poor often need to renew or broaden their expertise – those skills in public health, leadership or divergent specialties they once learned, but have not used in the years since their careers became more focused. This requires a commitment to
I received several questions this week from international-minded medical students regarding what specialty to select. Wonderful are your intentions over how to best prepare yourselves for a life of serving! My short answer is, choose the specialty that most interests you. There exists the misconception that only primary care specialties are appropriate for medical
I am impressed this week with the surge of inquiries about volunteering, even studying, at Bach Christian Hospital in the mountains of Pakistan. In contrast to the continuous requests for placement in Africa (I call this the ‘Bono/U2 Effect”) it is a confirmation that people indeed realize that enormous needs exist in other continents as well. Bach
Today I’m talking with two undergraduate students in non-healthcare fields about their interest in medical missions and in volunteering their skills. How wonderful to witness the altruism of these people! Their virtuous desires at age 20 may well result in compassion towards thousands of individuals in the future! As for the near term, I’m
Typhoid fever. At this moment I’m caring for a youth with this disease in the highlands of Angola, Africa. The typhoid ruptured six holes in his intestine, and has nearly taken his life. He is of the Ovimbundu people, for whom life has not changed in hundreds of years. The women and children tend
“I’ve lost three more patients today,” writes Ben Cavilla, MD, from the Lubango Evangelical Medical Center in Angola, southern Africa. “One had terminal AIDS. Another had a liter of puss in her belly. And the third was a young child with typhoid fever.” Dr. Cavilla gave up the comforts of British Columbia, paid his
Many healthcare professionals are enamored over the possibility of serving the poorest of the poor. But what steps follow this vision? First: equip yourself with the essential professional, cross-cultural and personal skills. Your transition from functioning in a community of affluence to one of poverty demands unique, new abilities. Second: join forces with other