The challenges of leaving a positive impact while practicing as a physician in another country

He was approximately 75 pounds and appeared to be wasting away. Although he was only 43 years old, he had end-stage AIDS. Even in this cachectic state, he continued to refuse to eat the hospital food because he didn’t like it. After speaking at length with him, he said that he only wanted porridge with meat or “fat cakes,” both of which we did not serve in the hospital. He was told that his family was allowed to bring food to him in the hospital, yet day after day, the family was nowhere in sight, so he continued to starve. As a physician, how could I help this chronically ill man with the tools of modern medicine in a foreign country? For those of us, health care workers, who are involved in global health, it can be difficult to find your role when working in another country. Where do you insert yourself in a foreign medical system without causing more harm than good? If we only spend a short period of time, such as a month in a country, will there be someone with the same skill set to take our place when we leave? If we bring antibiotics and medications to a community, what happens when they run out? If we screen and diagnose medical problems, will there be enough resources to actually treat the patient? Are we leaving the community or hospital a better place than when we came? Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Infectious Disease Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs