My Nepal Volunteer Experience as a Medical Student

by Eleanor Morad
(London, UK)

Checking villagers' health

I am a third-year medical student and my initial reason for going travelling this summer was to experience healthcare in a developing country and see how different it is to how we practice medicine in England.

I chose Nepal, as I had never previously been to this part of the world and decided to go through INFO Nepal, as the organization seemed well organized and arranged our placement as well as sightseeing, jungle trips and accommodation.

I travelled with a friend and we arrived in Kathmandu airport after 30 hours! Instantly, we appreciated the change from London – it was hot, busy and we were quickly surrounded by taxi drivers and hotel owners trying to help us. We were taken in a car to the Happy Home in Kathmandu, where we would stay for the next three days.

As we drove through Kathmandu, the pollution was as we expected but we had not been prepared for the numerous cows patrolling the streets and poking their heads through the taxi windows! The driving also took a little getting used to – horns are used more to warn other drivers of your presence, which was a little nerve-wracking at first!

The Happy Home was a lovely place to stay while we acclimatized to the city – it was very luxurious and the family were most welcoming and hospitable.

During our first few days, we had language lessons and sightseeing. The language lessons were invaluable as I went from knowing absolutely no Nepali whatsoever to being able to have a very basic conversation. I learnt some useful phrases, especially medical ones for the placement. We were taken to temples which were beautiful and really worth going to, especially the "monkey temple!"

The next stage of our experience was a three-day stay in a jungle resort in Chitwan National Park. After a lengthy eight-hour bus journey we arrived and the differences with Kathmandu were instantly apparent – the climate was much hotter, the land was flat and there were mosquitoes everywhere – even with repellent spray and mosquito nets, I still managed to acquire an impressive number of bites! My favourite day here was when we were taken on a canoe to the jungle – passing crocodiles in the water as we went! We then had a three-hour jungle walk, where we saw rhinos, deer, monkeys and many other smaller creatures. It was amazing to be so close to animals that I had previously only seen in books!

Later in the day, we went on an elephant trek through the jungle, which was definitely an experience. With branches lashing at our dangling legs, we were able to see the jungle from a height and again saw many wild animals. In the evening, we were taken to a Tharu cultural show, consisting of singing and dancing, which was very entertaining.

The majority of our time was spent staying at the Happy Home in Chitwan, home to 22 lovely children. We stayed here with two other volunteers and quickly felt right at home. The only problem was the frequent power cuts – they were usually fine but when one coincided with a little girl being taken quite seriously ill, it caused a bit of general panic. Fortunately, we were able to give her medication and she was fine.

Our days were mostly spent at the local Health Post – the rough equivalent to an English GP surgery. Patients presented with a variety of medical problems, most frequently skin infections and gastrointestinal problems. After the doctor there gave us a summary of what the patient had complained of, we were left to examine the patient and formulate a possible diagnosis and management plan. This was challenging, as the language barrier caused some degree of uncertainty but by using basic phrases and sign-language, we usually came to a decision.

As I expected, healthcare was very different in Nepal and basic hygiene measures were not implemented, so we left handwash gel and rubber gloves behind for future use. However, it was really useful to see how medical practice worked here and I really felt that our contributions were listened to and valued and we were able to be much more involved in patients' care than in England.

Altogether, I had a thoroughly enjoyable experience in Nepal and am glad I went through INFO Nepal. Nepal is a beautiful country to visit, despite the widespread poverty, and the Nepali people were very welcoming and friendly to us. We met many other volunteers throughout our time here, both through this organisation and others, so it was nice to meet so many new people and share our experiences. The INFO Nepal staff were all very helpful and I would recommend the healthcare program to any medical students, who want to combine seeing healthcare in a totally different setting, with an unforgettable experience in a beautiful country.