Surgery and Healing in the Developing World - Dartmouth-Hitchcock

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14 Surgery and Healing in the Developing World
volunteers, and we hope many more will want to consider this broadening experience
in their personal lives, both religious and otherwise.
When I took a month away from my practice of cardiovascular surgery in Kenya
over 20 years ago, I had no idea the impact it would have on the rest of my life, and
I have been blessed with the joy of service in many areas since then. One has to go
only one time to catch the fever and the spirit of service abroad. As science, religion
and medicine move closer and closer together after a couple hundred years of separation,
interest in the spiritual aspects of medical care are being more and more
emphasized not only by individual practitioners but in many of our great medical
universities.
There are many different opportunities available to fit the needs of those health
care workers in this country who want to expand their horizons. The secret is to
align oneself with an organization or group in which one can work comfortably.
There are many groups available, both Christian and secular.
A word of caution is warranted here. Not every successful health care worker in
the developed world will necessarily be an effective volunteer in medical work in the
developing countries. Individuals must determine for themselves whether they are
suitable, both by self-evaluation of their own personality characteristics and by determining
what appropriate skills they have which would enhance medical mission
in the areas being considered. Many times emotions, values and attitudes may be
barriers to appropriate behavior and cross-cultural learning and sensitivity.
Preparation, faith, adaptability, sensitivity and the nurturing of relationships are
all important things to consider by all health care professionals contemplating exciting
medical adventures, and each one of the elements will be now approached in
more detail.
Preparation for Service
Positive experiences abroad are enhanced by proper preparation. A cross-cultural
experience is by nature unsettling but can also be quite bewildering without the
necessary preparation. Potential volunteers must study as much as possible by reading
history, literature and issue papers regarding the country and the region where
he or she will be working. One must try to develop some understanding of the
context in which he or she is to function, not only by talking to others who have just
visited there, but by corresponding with the people who are working there, if any,
on a long term basis.
Current information about the local people’s response to key issues in the area
and an attempt to learn the attitudes in the community where the medical facility is
located are always helpful. Knowledge of medical problems endemic to the area also
enhance one’s ability to contribute to the health care of the community and is a
requirement for anyone going into sometimes disorienting situations.
Understanding one’s own self and working on appropriate relationships with the
nationals with whom they will be working as well as the group they go with from
home is a key to good relationships. Contact with both groups before the trip will
help prepare the way. Proper understanding of the personal medical risks involved is
paramount to a good experience. Immunizations recommended by the CDC and
appropriate malarial prophylactic preparation are essential. This will be discussed in
more detail in another chapter in this book.