On International Aid

One of the obvious reasons for coming on this trip... obviously... was to provide some medical care to the people that otherwise had no access to "standard" medical care. And hopefully, the care we provide would be quality medical care that we would be proud to give back in the U.S.

Of course, I now know my expectations were too high, and my assumptions were wrong.

One typical scenario would be a patient that had been seen by the local doctors many times, perhaps even at the general hospital. Although the treatment was at times inexplicable, i.e. antibiotics for osteoarthritis, the diagnosis was usually correct. The problem is that they would come to us for help, and we would have no treatment to offer. Torn meniscus, endometriosis, hepatitis, schizophrenia, on and on. The American doctors that have come from thousands of miles away, who were assumed to be better than their own local doctors, had nothing to offer.

The other scenario is a patient with a chronic and very often serious problem, who would come for treatment. At times, they have walked for 10 hours, and stood in line since the night before to see us. Not only did the patient have high hopes, it was a lot of pressure on the provider to help someone who comes to you at such great cost.

But as it turns out, it's difficult to treat ALS or a cerebellar stroke with NSAIDS and antibiotics.

How do you, in essence, turn away a patient who comes to you as their last hope? How do I tell a patient to go to the general hospital when they have no resources or support?

Maybe one day someone will be able to come back, and really help these thousands and thousands of people that desire so strongly for relief from their, at times, treatable ailments.

But how could you really help these people substantially without a complete overhaul or even creation of a medical system? One provider couldn't even make a dent. And how can you create a complete medical system without a complete overhaul of the social and economic systems already in place?

Someone please figure this one out. Thanks.


~Ryan