Work Placements - Medicine and Healthcare - Kenya
Kenya is a country of exceptional beauty. Home to the legendary Maasai Tribe, Kenya is a country of incredible national parks and game reserves, unspoilt beaches and rolling savannahs.
The Careerbreaker Work Placement base is situated in Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley, part of the fault system running between Jordan and Mozambique. The soda lakes nearby are hosts to hundreds of thousands of flamingos, pelicans and other bird life. Meanwhile the only freshwater lake in the valley, Naivasha, boasts the biggest variety of birdlife worldwide and many families of hippos.
Healthcare in Kenya, as in much of East Africa, is poorly funded and poorly resourced, largely due to insufficient finance within the Government. Most hospitals and clinics are understaffed, under-resourced, and generally under-funded.
Our links with medical institutes in Kenya varies between hospitals, and rural clinics. This is designed to give you a feel for the different approaches to healthcare in Kenya, and the problems faced by both rural and urban Kenyans. For social, cultural, but mainly economic reasons, people don’t seek medical attention until their condition is incredibly advanced or they are in serious pain. Coupled with poor health and sanitary provisions, medics in these countries are faced with conditions that we don’t see in the west.
The healthcare placements in Kenya are suitable for both professionals and those people still training, although your level of hands-on experience will be limited if you are new to your profession. Facilities here have high patient-to-nurse ratios, so healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and midwives will find their experience put to good use. Help with IT and administration is also appreciated, so if you are interested in working in this area please do let us know.
We have links with a number of facilities in and around Naivasha, working in various aspects of healthcare. As a result we can offer a rewarding and varied experience.
Hospital Work
Working in the town’s important government-run facilities, you will gain a unique insight into the challenges that doctors here face on a daily basis. Although dedicated, the staff are working with overstretched facilities and overcrowding is common.
As well as providing a fresh pair of hands, you will be in a great position to develop your own skills and learn about diseases not often seen in the West. Malaria is a common complaint, and the hospitals here see a range of tropical illnesses.
Volunteers can choose which departments they want to spend the most time in (for example emergency medicine, paediatrics etc.) Just let us know if you have particular areas of interest and / or experience.
Out-reach work in the Maasai Mara
We are offering an incredible opportunity to do out-reach work in the Maasai Mara. Working with a small, private hospital you will have the opportunity to spend some time in rural areas, providing care in places that don’t usually have easy access to healthcare facilities.
Work at a centre for patients of HIV / AIDS.
The Voluntary Counselling & Testing centre offers patients confidential HIV testing and counselling. It also offers treatment, testing and education for other STDs. Its Comprehensive Care Centre helps patients with HIV who are suffering from other illnesses, such as TB. If you would be interested in spending some time at this centre, please let us know.
If there is a particular field of medicine or healthcare you are interested in, but you don’t see it here, please do get in touch. Our crew are constantly researching new opportunities and will be happy to research your ideal placement.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your specific requirements further. Tel 0191 2669495 or e-mail: team@madventurer.com
Do you fancy a bit of adventure and sight-seeing after you volunteer placement? Contact us to discuss possible adventure trips.
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