Volunteering for a medical mission in Haïti requires personal flexibility and an inherent spirit for adventure. The infrastructure, general customs and value systems in emerging countries, where beating the odds against survival literally present a daily challenge, can often seem shocking to the visitor on initial exposure.
Medical volunteers of all levels accustomed to the sophisticated standards of care in western countries require adaptation when working under conditions without running water or electricity. The medical history becomes the sole road to diagnosis, complemented by physical findings. Diagnostic studies in makeshift facilities are not available for patients that literally have one sole opportunity for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Often, the realities of these working conditions can be overwhelming.
When a permanent facility opens replacing the makeshift clinic with its hanging bed sheets for privacy partitions, when microscopes and centrifuges finally become available, this clinical experience will improve but never come close to western standards. Consequently, mission volunteers must be open minded, flexible, have confidence in diagnostic acumen and be comfortable with themselves. With each successive bi-annual clinic NOVA has increased its capacity, has learned from its short comings and has cultivated an ever increasing body of competent and empathetic professional volunteers who team together while stateside to plan for improvement. This has resulted in an outstanding NOVA esprit de corps. We have developed an evolving alphabetized disease oriented pharmacopoeia of some 100 medicines purchased from IDA in Amsterdam and shipped to Haïti weeks in advance of our ambulatory clinics. This list is modified annually and serves as the basis for a pharmacy that can treat practically every disease we encounter.
Our medical volunteers include general physicians, specialty physicians and surgeons who do general practice work in Haïti but are called upon for opinions and referrals when needed, pediatricians, social workers and specialists in the education of personal hygiene and family planning, dental hygienists, nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists.
Non-medical staff is as important as the medical component and NOVA is always in need of English-Creole translators, a background in medical terminology is especially helpful. We have traveled with college students who help with distribution of medicines, photographers and videographers and volunteers with no specific skills but with a willingness to interact with the Haitian patients and staff to contribute to the smooth function of the clinic.
For more information about volunteering email: info@novahope.org
