This spring I have the pleasure of partaking in a one month global health elective at Maweni Regional Referral Hospital in Kigoma, Tanzania. I am a pediatric resident and during my time in Kigoma I will be working at the hospital assisting in patient care for children of all ages. As this hospital is a referral center for the area, I will have the opportunity to care for children with complex medical illnesses requiring complicated care. I look forward to coming alongside the local physicians to both learn from them and have the opportunity to assist in their training to further the work they do in their communities. In addition to working in the hospital, I will be involved in a sickle cell disease outreach clinic in two rural communities. During those outreaches, we will be providing life changing medication for numerous patients with sickle cell disease who otherwise would not have access to care.
My career passions are global and rural medicine, thus this trip is designed to address patients living in both those populations. Maweni Regional Referral Hospital is a large referral hospital that cares for patients from numerous communities. The patients travel incredible distances to be helped in this hospital, as they cannot receive the level of care required in their remote villages. Specifically I will be working with the children at the hospital as I am a pediatric resident. In addition to caring for the patients, I hope to be helpful in providing further public health education for their families and the surrounding communities. I am trusting that I will be helpful in providing care for both the children in the hospital and the sickle cell outreach clinics. During college and medical school I spent time in both Uganda and India on global health trips, and I am looking forward to learning from a new country's health system. Every trip I have taken has been helpful in learning about different healthcare systems and the strengths they have to offer.
The reason I selected Tanzania is we have a dear friend who is already working in Kigoma as a pediatrician. He invited us to join him for a month with the potential for us (my husband is also a resident) to consider long-term work in this community after completing residency. I am passionate about contributing to systems within healthcare that are sustainable and led by members of the local community. Through my time there I hope to assist with the training of local physicians as they prepare to launch a medical school in their community. I believe one of the most impactful endeavors as physicians is to train other healthcare providers. Therefore, I am hopeful to both learn from the local providers and members of the community and provide additional medical education when I am able.
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