For some reason I wrote this post back in November, and never got round to posting it... I reckon I might be interested to look back on it in years to come, so will publish it now!
Over the weeks and month leading up to my trip I have talked to lots of people about my plans and they have had a lot of questions, so I thought I'd write a little FAQ blog in case anyone is interested. I'm also interested to see if my answers to this change over the time I'm away, so it's good to document what I think right at the start.
Why are you going to work in Zambia?
There are quite a few reasons. Firstly I strongly believe that every human being should have access to decent, affordable healthcare, as a basic human right. Sadly this isn't the case for huge numbers of people across the world so I would like to contribute towards doing something about that. I realise this this is a drop in the ocean, and not a long term sustainable investment, BUT if my last trip is anything to go by, there will be people who live because of this decision, who would have otherwise died, and I think that is enough of a long term investment to make it worth while.
Secondly I LOVE obs and gynae and this is an amazing opportunity to gain heaps of experience in a very different setting. Working in Zambia will undoubtedly expose me to a number of challenges and situations that I wouldn't experience back home, so it's a great opportunity to grow.
Thirdly I'm always up for an adventure and I love the idea of living in a different culture. A lot of my friends have taken a year out to live in Australia or New Zealand, which sounds fantastic and is something I'd definitely consider in the future, but I really wanted to experience something totally different from life back home. I'm also excited for what will hopefully be a much simpler life with less materialism and instant gratification.
How many doctors work there?
Staffing is very variable. There are approximately 20-25 doctors, a mix of Africans (Zambian + Congolese) and Europeans (mostly British and Dutch). It has ~370 inpatient beds, and also provides extensive outpatient care. Compared to the hospital I did my elective in in Ghana it is much better staffed, but compared to my old hospital in Exeter - that has 800 beds and I'd guess maybe ~200 doctors.
What kind of hospital is it?
Saint Francis hospital was originally a Catholic mission hospital, founded by a Cornish priest in 1947, the son of the Bishop of Crediton, Devon! It's now run by the Zambian government, but has strong ties and financial support from the Zambian Anglican council.
What's healthcare like in general in Zambia?
This is a really difficult question to answer... For Africa, Zambia has a fairly good healthcare system, and compared to its neighbours, relatively speaking it's doing reasonably well. But it's very difficult to make any meaningful comparison to the UK. I suppose maybe it's like how the UK was in the 1950s?
For anyone who's as geeky as me and likes stats, this is a fascinating website:
http://gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/health_workforce/PhysiciansDensity_Total/atlas.html
Apparently the UK has 16 times as many doctors per population than Zambia. According to the WHO website above, Zambia's neighbour Malawi has the second least doctors in the ENTIRE WORLD, above only Liberia. SFH is very near the border with Malawi and also Mozambique so quite a lot of patients cross over to be treated here.
Are you getting paid?
I get paid a grand total of £150/month and have free accommodation and one cooked meal a day.
Are you going with an organisation?
I've gone through an octogenarian couple! He's a retired doctor and she's a retired nurse (I think) and they were career missionaries here for 40 years. They're literally 85 and only left Zambia about 5 years ago. They have a fund that's contributed to by donations which pays our salaries, and then the hospital provides the meal and housing. There's some link between the octogenarian's fund and the Zambian Anglican Council but I don't think they're quite the same thing. In the respect that people are asking, no I'm not going with a big organisation like MSF.
How did you find out about SFH? Why there?
One of the consultants, Rob, from my hospital in Exeter worked there about 10 years ago and really recommended it. Over a few weeks when I was considering this I met a huge number of people who had either worked in this hospital or had friends who had or were about to, all recommending going there.
Did you know anyone else there?
A friend who worked in Exeter a couple of years ago, Alex, has been here since April for 12 months. He's a senior registrar in general surgery (that means about 6-8 years more experienced than me).
Will you be home for Christmas?
No, I'll celebrate Christmas in Zambia, which should be fun. I had a fake Christmas in the UK a month early with my family to make up for missing it last year as well (I was on nights).
What does you mum think of this?! (Popular question!)
She seems pretty chilled about it all. She says she'll miss me but she's excited for me. She lived in India and Nepal for a year teaching English before I was born, so I've grown up hearing about her adventures - now it's time for mine!
What's your postal address?
Saint Francis Hospital
Katete
Eastern Province
Zambia
This again is a popular question, but while I appreciate the thought, I really wouldn't recommend you sending me anything now. I received today (21.2.17) a letter my mum sent me on 11.12.16 and friends here report packages have taken 6 months to arrive. So only send something if you don't mind the chance of my friends getting it a few months after I'm gone! (My 6 month contract finishes in the hospital end of May, then I leave the country mid-June)
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Over the weeks and month leading up to my trip I have talked to lots of people about my plans and they have had a lot of questions, so I thought I'd write a little FAQ blog in case anyone is interested. I'm also interested to see if my answers to this change over the time I'm away, so it's good to document what I think right at the start.
Why are you going to work in Zambia?
There are quite a few reasons. Firstly I strongly believe that every human being should have access to decent, affordable healthcare, as a basic human right. Sadly this isn't the case for huge numbers of people across the world so I would like to contribute towards doing something about that. I realise this this is a drop in the ocean, and not a long term sustainable investment, BUT if my last trip is anything to go by, there will be people who live because of this decision, who would have otherwise died, and I think that is enough of a long term investment to make it worth while.
Secondly I LOVE obs and gynae and this is an amazing opportunity to gain heaps of experience in a very different setting. Working in Zambia will undoubtedly expose me to a number of challenges and situations that I wouldn't experience back home, so it's a great opportunity to grow.
Thirdly I'm always up for an adventure and I love the idea of living in a different culture. A lot of my friends have taken a year out to live in Australia or New Zealand, which sounds fantastic and is something I'd definitely consider in the future, but I really wanted to experience something totally different from life back home. I'm also excited for what will hopefully be a much simpler life with less materialism and instant gratification.
How many doctors work there?
Staffing is very variable. There are approximately 20-25 doctors, a mix of Africans (Zambian + Congolese) and Europeans (mostly British and Dutch). It has ~370 inpatient beds, and also provides extensive outpatient care. Compared to the hospital I did my elective in in Ghana it is much better staffed, but compared to my old hospital in Exeter - that has 800 beds and I'd guess maybe ~200 doctors.
What kind of hospital is it?
Saint Francis hospital was originally a Catholic mission hospital, founded by a Cornish priest in 1947, the son of the Bishop of Crediton, Devon! It's now run by the Zambian government, but has strong ties and financial support from the Zambian Anglican council.
What's healthcare like in general in Zambia?
This is a really difficult question to answer... For Africa, Zambia has a fairly good healthcare system, and compared to its neighbours, relatively speaking it's doing reasonably well. But it's very difficult to make any meaningful comparison to the UK. I suppose maybe it's like how the UK was in the 1950s?
For anyone who's as geeky as me and likes stats, this is a fascinating website:
http://gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/health_workforce/PhysiciansDensity_Total/atlas.html
Apparently the UK has 16 times as many doctors per population than Zambia. According to the WHO website above, Zambia's neighbour Malawi has the second least doctors in the ENTIRE WORLD, above only Liberia. SFH is very near the border with Malawi and also Mozambique so quite a lot of patients cross over to be treated here.
Are you getting paid?
I get paid a grand total of £150/month and have free accommodation and one cooked meal a day.
Are you going with an organisation?
I've gone through an octogenarian couple! He's a retired doctor and she's a retired nurse (I think) and they were career missionaries here for 40 years. They're literally 85 and only left Zambia about 5 years ago. They have a fund that's contributed to by donations which pays our salaries, and then the hospital provides the meal and housing. There's some link between the octogenarian's fund and the Zambian Anglican Council but I don't think they're quite the same thing. In the respect that people are asking, no I'm not going with a big organisation like MSF.
How did you find out about SFH? Why there?
One of the consultants, Rob, from my hospital in Exeter worked there about 10 years ago and really recommended it. Over a few weeks when I was considering this I met a huge number of people who had either worked in this hospital or had friends who had or were about to, all recommending going there.
I don't know if you can see the tiny advert for SFH under the heading Africa - this is in Rob's bathroom, the BMJ advert that sent him and his wife there!
Did you know anyone else there?
A friend who worked in Exeter a couple of years ago, Alex, has been here since April for 12 months. He's a senior registrar in general surgery (that means about 6-8 years more experienced than me).
Will you be home for Christmas?
No, I'll celebrate Christmas in Zambia, which should be fun. I had a fake Christmas in the UK a month early with my family to make up for missing it last year as well (I was on nights).
Me, my sister-in-law Heather, my brother Martin and my cousin Sofia celebrating fake Christmas in November!
What does you mum think of this?! (Popular question!)
She seems pretty chilled about it all. She says she'll miss me but she's excited for me. She lived in India and Nepal for a year teaching English before I was born, so I've grown up hearing about her adventures - now it's time for mine!
What's your postal address?
Saint Francis Hospital
Katete
Eastern Province
Zambia
This again is a popular question, but while I appreciate the thought, I really wouldn't recommend you sending me anything now. I received today (21.2.17) a letter my mum sent me on 11.12.16 and friends here report packages have taken 6 months to arrive. So only send something if you don't mind the chance of my friends getting it a few months after I'm gone! (My 6 month contract finishes in the hospital end of May, then I leave the country mid-June)
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