SERVICE-LEARNING
EXPERIENCE

Located in the most populated and impoverished area in Ethiopia, northeastern Africa, this facility offers medical care to communities that live largely by subsistence farming. The region is geographically beautiful, over looking the Rift Valley. English is spoken by the hospital staff and by most all educated Ethiopians. Given the large number of local languages, translation is routinely required and translators are readily available.

Education is a focal point at Soddo Christian Hospital, with active surgery and ophthalmology training programs. African general surgery residents participate in the PAACS residency program on site. The hospital is also a training site for the associated Siloam Nursing School. Visiting students and resident physicians participate in the full range of services provided, with supervision and responsibilities proportionate to their skills.

This city-based hospital in west-central Ghana cares for people most commonly suffering from malaria, malnutrition, pneumonia, hepatitis, tropical ulcers, typhoid fever, pregnancy complications, schistosomiasis, hypertension and anemia. Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) is available for HIV infected individuals, as well as Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) prophylactic medication. Wenchi Methodist Hospital is also a referral center for traditional birth attendants and for 18 outpatient health facilities.

Several American and European healthcare profession students come to Wenchi Hospital each year where they are mentored by Ghanaian national staff in medicine and HIV care. Clinical responsibilities will depend upon the student’s interest, and will normally include outpatient clinic, inpatient care, obstetrics, pediatrics, and surgery. Public health and HIV care opportunities are also available. Students are quite welcome and are constantly provided supervision.

Guinea, a country in West Africa of 13 million people, is a land of untapped potential and of great challenge. According to the Human Development Index, Guinea ranks 175 out of 189 countries. The infant and under-5 mortality rates are among the bottom 10% in the world. Half of its population is under the age of 15, making the need for robust pediatric healthcare critical. Despite this need, the country has fewer than 20 pediatricians and, until recently, no dedicated pediatric centers.

Sacre Coeur Pediatric Clinic (SCPC) provides three types of care: routine health or sick visits also known as consultations, emergency department care, and specialty visits for sickle cell, congenital health diseases and neurological disorders. The emergency department can also function like a day hospital where patients needing daily antibiotics or very close follow up for an acute illness. SCPC also has a very robust malnutrition program that is run parallel to the above three types of care provided.

This full-service hospital is located along the northern coast of Honduras and serves a community characterized by the full range of diseases of poverty. Medical care is provided by a largely American staff and includes outpatient consultations, inpatient care, general surgery, obstetrical and ophthalmology services. Students and volunteers must be able to function independently in Spanish.

Hospital Loma de Luz is very interested in sharing their vision and experience with healthcare professional students, who are invited to participate in the full scope of activities. Assigned roles and responsibilities will be in proportion to a student’s skill, with provision of full supervision. Students will especially appreciate the opportunity to observe how the local culture, behavior and economy influence physical health.

Annoor Sanatorium is the Middle East’s referral center for lung diseases. This forty-bed facility is frequented by patients suffering from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectatsis, and congestive heart failure. It also offers pediatric care and serves large numbers of malnourished children from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

While patients normally speak Arabic, INMED students can function in English with translation provided by hospital staff. Responsibilities include inpatient and outpatient care, under the supervision of six American and European trained physicians. The hospital provides housing at no charge, and offers meals at minimal cost to INMED students. Visitors to Annoor may also enjoy the nearby historic city of Petra.

Chogoria Hospital is situated in the Tharaka-Nithi District of Kenya’s Eastern Province, 200 kilometers northeast of Nairobi on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya – the highest mountain in Kenya. Chogoria is a paradox of beauty and hardship. The town is surrounded by rolling hills, tea fields, and coffee plantations. The townspeople of Chogoria consists mostly of subsistence farmers who depend on their crop harvests for the livelihood of their families.

Founded in 1922, the hospital is owned by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) to provide quality, affordable, comprehensive health care services and training of health professionals to the glory of God. The hospital has four wards: medical, surgery/orthopedics, pediatric and maternity, plus an established Community Health Department with very active TB, HIV, and palliative care services. Chogoria Hospital is home to two physician residency programs, one in family medicine and another in general surgery.

This full-service hospital is lead by the African Inland Church (AIC) and since 1933 has provided care for people in a region who suffer from the combined impact of economic deprivation, rural location, and deficient medical care. Malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV are frequently treated, along with traumatic injuries, birth complications, and non-infectious chronic diseases.

Kapsowar Hospital has a strong commitment to medical education, frequently hosting medical students from other countries. Students are assigned to medical, pediatric or surgical rotations. Often, students will round in the mornings and following up with patients in the afternoons or assist in the operating theatre. Students take night call with appropriate back up, and they are encouraged to be involved in as much as they feel comfortable.

Kijabe Hospital enjoys a very good reputation among the Kenyan people and is relatively modern compared to other medical care facilities in the nation. Services include inpatient adults and pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology and a very busy surgery department. Kijabe also emphasizes care in HIV and orthopedics. Since it is a referral center, patients coming to Kijabe tend to be very sick.

The hospital has a strong commitment to medical education and frequently hosts medical students from the USA, Canada, Netherlands, the UK, and Australia. The facility also sponsors residencies in general surgery and family medicine. Students participate in the full range of clinical care and are supported by a faculty who regularly make presentations at scientific meetings.

Medical Education International’s work in North Macedonia,  Albania, and other nations of Eastern Europe, is primarily focused on medical education rather than on direct patient care. The major objective through such collaborations is to advance healthcare expertise leading to improved health throughout this region of the world. The venues for medical education are hospital wards and clinical reasoning workshops where differential diagnoses are explored, and educational presentations are made.

Most people involved with Medical Education International are North Macedonia medical students who speak English. Common medical education subjects include wound care, breast cancer screening, geriatrics, clinical reasoning, bedside teaching techniques, telemedicine. Recent specialist education has been provided by pediatric endocrinology, emergency medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, general pediatrics, palliative care, toxicology, adult gastroenterology, clinical pharmacy.

Located in rural Uganda, this hospital ministry serves a community marked by subsistence farming, lack of education, and diseases of poverty. Kiwoko Hospital provides inpatient care, including neonatology, surgery and obstetrics. The clinic also provides services for nutrition, eye, dentistry, TB, HIV and antenatal care. Kiwoko sponsors a community health initiative for immunization, public education, malaria prevention, water development and improved nutrition. The hospital also trains staff through their own nursing and laboratory school.

Four full-time physicians make up the medical staff, and are supported by many volunteer physicians who travel to Kiwoko each year. Students and residents fully participate in patient care, including ward rounds, night duty, presenting cases and assisting in surgery. Involvement with research projects is also an option.

The Surgery is an International Medical Clinic established in the 1940’s. This 24-hour facility includes an ambulance service, emergency department, in-patient care, laboratory services, prenatal and obstetrical services, immunization, comprehensive HIV care, and family medicine. The Surgery does considerable charitable work. A street children’s network and most all the orphanages in Kampala rely on The Surgery and receive free consultations.

All staff and most all patients speak English. Students participate in the wide range of emergency care and primary care is provided. They report that the doctors are very eager to teach and provide insights on culture and medicine. Students find that the educational environment and standard of medical care at the Surgery is extremely high.

The United Arab Emirates is a country is situated just southwest of Saudi Arabia and bordered by the Gulf of Oman. Patients coming for care at Kanad (Oasis) Hospital represent a wide variety of backgrounds, including higher-educated local citizens and foreign workers, frequently from the Indian subcontinent. Diabetes is extremely prevalent, as are other common chronic disease states.

Kanad Hospital is a teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the United Arab Emirates University. Students in the healthcare professions are regularly received for educational rotations in the specialties of their choice. Clinical responsibilities will normally include outpatient clinic, inpatient care, obstetrics, and surgery. Students are constantly under the guidance of a staff physician.

Karanda Mission Hospital was established in 1961 to meet the needs of clinics that were developed alongside churches and schools, working in association with the Evangelical Church of Zimbabwe. The hospital has approximately 150 beds, and on an average workday 10-20 surgeries are performed, and 200-300 outpatients are seen. The facility is known for the large number of surgical cases it handles, as well as treating HIV/AIDS, TB, obstetrics, and hydrocephalus.  The patient population is drawn from the entire country as people seek affordable, reliable, compassionate healthcare. The Karanda Mission Hospital motto is “Serving God, Serving Others.”