This global health rotation will take place in Rwanda from November 1st to November 7, 2025. It presents a unique opportunity for residents, like myself, to engage in global "One Health" initiatives and gain insight into delivering high-quality care in resource-limited settings while providing care for patients with a wide range of GI-related complaints.
The target population is the general population of Rwanda in about 5 cities across the country. We will be providing care for those in a resource-constrained environment who are suffering from a variety of GI symptoms.
This is a week-long experience to support patients with different GI complaints, ranging from dyspepsia to recurrent diarrhea. The goal is to provide quality specialty care in rural locations. I am interested in GI as my future career, and this trip will allow me to build on my skills to take care of patients in resource-limited settings. Also, this is an opportunity to build on my inter-professional skills as I will be working alongside nurses, biomedical engineers, and social workers.
With support from the Doximity Foundation, I had the opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers at GI Rising and Rwanda Endoscopy Week. This was an effort to provide clinic consultation and endoscopic procedures for over 1,000 of Rwanda’s population, mainly from underserved communities who otherwise would have limited access to specialty care and endoscopic interventions. This effort was distributed across multiple sites throughout the country. I had the pleasure of working in two different sites: Kigali, the capital city, and Butaro Hospital in the Northern Province. Working at the two sites gave me a deeper perspective on the challenges that come with practicing in a rural, resource-limited setting.
Every day, we were greeted by a long line of patients waiting to be seen in the clinic. As a medicine resident, I stepped in wherever help was needed, such as collecting patient and procedural data and assisting during endoscopic cases. I was able to make an impact in the care of patients with a variety of gastroenterology conditions, from diagnosing numerous cases of H. pylori infection to identifying an obstructive colonic mass. The dedication of everyone on the team, including the local healthcare providers, to help as many patients as possible was truly inspiring. I was able to connect and work closely with some of the local medical residents, and learning both the similarities and differences in our training was invaluable.
Overall, this experience deepened my understanding of delivering gastroenterology care in resource-limited settings. I am certainly motivated to return to this mission as a gastroenterology fellow in the coming years. I am truly appreciative of the Doximity Foundation for the financial support and to my faculty mentors for allowing me the opportunity to serve in this beautiful country.
