Global Health Gateway - Specialist 'Short-Mission'

Specialist 'Short-Mission'

Specialist short missions are perhaps the simplest way for clinicians to begin contributing to global health, but that doesn't make it easy!

Introduction

Specialist short missions are designed to provide specialist services not usually available to the local population. Typical destinations are regional hospitals which have enough facilities to host a specialist team but lack the specific expertise. The hosts usually identify a large number of potential patients and organise the logistics so that the team can provide the greatest care to the greatest number of people during their brief visit. Education and training of local health workers is an additional valuable contribution.

Solomon Eye Checks

Points to consider

Resource-intensive - Visiting teams work from existing health structures and seek to achieve as much as possible within a short space of time (usually a few weeks). As such they are resource intensive for both hosts and guests, but do allow busy health professionals to contribute without significantly disrupting their own home practices.

Realistic contribution - Working in a specialist field can bring particular joy when you can use your experience to solve something that has baffled others. But as a specialist you are also likely to see a lot of patients who you can do little to help simply because of the lack of resources – and knowing that back in Australia it would be such a different story.

Role as a Health Professional

Health professionals in this setting are ‘experts’ providing specialist clinical services and education. Special Surgical teams are particularly suited to this type of work, and it often involves transporting an entire specialist surgical team and their supplies (e.g. Plastic surgery, Ophthalmology). However, many other health professionals can contribute and may be variably integrated into the local health care team.

Organisations

Fred Hollows Foundation is an international development organisation, focussing on blindness prevention and Australian Indigenous health. It is carry on the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows (1929-1993). Fred was an Australian eye doctor, a skilled surgeon of international renown, a champion of the right of all people to good health and a strong advocate for social justice. Fred Hollows Foundation - www.hollows.org.au

Interplast provides surgical and allied health services in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. The focus is on plastic surgery, treating people with conditions such as cleft lip and palate, or burn scar contractures. Treatment is targeted to the indigent population who would otherwise not be able to afford to access services. All Interplast programs are training programs. Interplast - www.interplast.com.au

Kind Cuts for Kids is an Australian paediatric surgical organisation that works in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Specialist teams of doctors, nurses, technicians and allied health staff conduct short missions involving clinical work and teaching of the local staff. Kind Cuts for Kids - www.kindcutsforkids.net