To make the world a better place I would start by creating charity hospitals around the world so that people have access to some form of healthcare, even if it is the most basic healthcare. Ideally we could get American doctors to train the local doctors, and if people donated equipment, the local community could eventually learn how to take care of themselves. A hospital in Cambodia was started by a doctor from America and began including Cambodian nurses and doctors, who were eventually able to go study in Europe and come back and apply their knowledge to the small hospital. Hospitals from other countries would donate equipment like an ultrasound machine. Rather than just donating these machines without knowing if the hospital staff knew how to use them, the hospitals would send doctors to that hospital for a few weeks and they would teach the Cambodian staff how to use it. This took time, but it was possible and I think more initiatives could start in other parts of Cambodia and other countries that do not have easy access to wound care or any other healthcare. The problem with many of the people I encountered at this hospital was the distance so many rural people lived from the hospital in the capital city. It took them months or years to finally reach healthcare, and by then it was often too late.
Doing work in the garbage dumps of Mexico City and other impoverished areas is good because they aren’t just donating money or supplies. The people working spend weeks there finding out what they need, and bringing equipment and supplies there such as glasses and dental care to help these people at least short term. But short term is not enough to change these people's’ lives long term, so there needs to be a program where people can stay for months or years, or continue to return to the same community, and really understand how they live and what could help them and their lifestyle. Rather than giving a kid one set of glasses once in his life, knowing his vision will change, the best thing to do is to create a program where the same community will get revisited often and have access to at least semi constant healthcare. Basic healthcare is so important, and If we give these people the tools to help their own community, more will be accomplished in the long run and people will stop dying from completely curable problems.
Tierney, I think this is great! I agree that there needs to be a more consistent approach to creating healthcare in developing countries and making sure that proper training is in place to there is a noticeable change in the way people are treated. I've watched part of the documentary of Half of the Sky, and there's a woman running a hospital in Somaliland who is doing something similar with maternal care. She is training women from villages and clans to become midwives so they can go back to their village and properly care for the women living there. I hope that you are able to use your passion for medicine to make a difference!
ReplyDeleteI love your passion for this subject!! I feel that there needs to be a better health care system in different countries as well. I loved the idea that the previous comment said. Training women on how to properly care for others and training them properly so they can take care of others in their city.
DeleteThis is a great idea! I love how you don't just want to send doctors or medical equipment but actually want to train locals and help the community become more self-sufficient. Part of why I think this is so important is that there are a lot of ethical and trust issues that doctors need to navigate, and I think it's easier, at least at first, for patients to gain empathy from people from the same or similar community.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about setting up a long term system in training local professionals. There will always be an end of foreign-sent aid (human resources or money), but with our limited sources, the best way would be to train the people there who can then carry one the training and create a self-sustained system. This may also generate pride and more passion in the community too!
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