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Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) students have gained an international perspective of healthcare when they visited Vietnam as part of a Global Health Service Learning Program (GHSLP).
Ten first-year pre-medical students from WCM-Q spent 12 days in Ho Chi Minh City, where they volunteered at the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, worked with special needs children in a daycare centre, learned about treatment modalities commonly used in Vietnamese healthcare and observed basic health checks, patient care and hospital duties conducted by the healthcare teams.
The students also spent time learning about Vietnamese culture and history, as well as reflecting on what it means to be a global citizen and a healthcare professional in a world in which resources are unevenly distributed, leaving many people without access to high-quality healthcare.
The programme, which offered a unique global health learning opportunity, was directed by Dr Rachid Bendriss, assistant dean, student recruitment, outreach and foundation programmes, and Dr Sohaila Cheema, director of WCM-Q's Institute of Population Health (IPH), which organised the GHSLP.
Dr Cheema said:"Visiting Vietnam was a powerful and enriching experiential learning opportunity for the students. They got to experience the unique Vietnamese culture and to discover how that culture affects the way healthcare is delivered. Additionally, the programme allowed the students to develop a sense of civic engagement and a global perspective."
In the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, the students observed basic healthcare duties and how physicians clean and dress wounds, repair fractured bones and damaged nerves in the operating theatre, and use physiotherapy techniques. In the daycare centre, they worked closely with children with cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome and ADHD.
In addition, the students learned about some of the healthcare challenges facing Vietnam, a lower-middle income country, which includes a high incidence of motorcycle accidents, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
The students were impressed by the informal, friendly atmosphere of the hospital, the strong bonds between doctors, nurses, patients and their families, and the way this aided the healing process and facilitated communication, helping the hospital to run efficiently, despite its modest resources.
Accompanied by WCM-Q's Dr Mange Manyama, assistant professor of anatomy in radiology, and Raji Anand, IPH administration manager, the students spent a day at the Mekong River delta where they explored floating markets and local restaurants.
Student Hiba Naveed said:"It was never quiet in the rooms as there was always chatter among the nurses, therapists and patients. There did not seem to be restrictions on visiting hours and family members and friends of patients crowded in. It seemed as though the informality of the hospital was an aid in its own way. There was never a dull moment and this seemed integral to the healing process of the patients. This was so inspiring." (TNN)
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16/07/2018
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