I will lead a group of medical students in a trip to San Lucas Toliman in Guatemala where we will travel to various remote locations nearby and hold medical clinics in these areas. These towns typically are far from hospitals, and many of the patients will have never seen a pediatrician before. During this trip, we will be able to serve a larger population of patients than the clinic usually does since we will be performing outreach, and I will be able to teach and lead the medical students who are interested in global health. Additionally, in the US I serve many patients from Latin America and some from Guatemala, and in experiencing this clinic in Guatemala I will be better able to serve my patients by being able to relate more to them culturally and to know what they have previously experienced in healthcare, as well as learning more about different conditions that may be more endemic to the area.
We serve a rural population of patients in Guatemala who are often unable to travel far to get to the local clinics. Additionally there are limited hospital systems for them to access, and often funds present a problem. We can diagnose and treat acute medical conditions, as well as follow up on chronic medical conditions diagnosed by previous trips to the area. There is a nutrition program for pediatric patients that we can enroll patients in in the area. Experiencing malnutrition in early childhood puts children at risk for developmental delays and other negative mental and physical health outcomes, and by identifying children who would benefit from the program, we can allow them to access more food, formula, and vitamins at low cost.
We will be able to help many patients who would not have been able to otherwise access care, and will be able to enroll them in programs such as the nutrition program for ongoing access to care and follow up. Additionally, by going on the trip, I will be able to teach and inspire medical students to continue to be involved in global health and possibly pediatrics. I would like to continue to be involved in these trips and hope to return to the area in the future.
During the one week of my trip, our group was able to see over 100 patients in rural Guatemala who otherwise due to financial or transportation barriers would not have been able to see a doctor. We saw many children with concerns for undernutrition, viral illnesses, and saw one baby with a heart murmur and poor growth who was able to have a reassuring ultrasound of her heart. Additionally by seeing these patients we were able to take some of the burden off of the local overworked healthcare providers. The students on the trip were able to learn about treating parasitic infections, asthma exacerbations in resource limited settings, and reflect on the differences between care in the United States and in places with fewer resources. We had many discussions about the ethics of short-term global health trips, providing care while considering environmental health, and on culturally competent care. I hope to continue to work with this community in the future on more medical trips and am grateful for the opportunity.
