India Elective Opportunities
Volunteers at the Lok Hospital
Lok Hospital is situated in Thane, a suburb of Mumbai (Bombay) lying about 30 miles north of the centre of the city, which is India's commercial capital. The hospital was built by Dr Stephen Alfred in 1996 and provides a range of medical services e.g. general medicine, surgical and medical oncology, diabetic clinic, paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, neurology and anaesthesiology. There are 40 beds and an Intensive Care Unit. Volunteers, including elective students, should be able to commit themselves to working for not less than six weeks. You can be expected to perform a wide variety of tasks from assisting nurses with patient care, spending time with patients and their relatives to working in the office or preparing the theatre for surgery. The hospital has a flat for the use of volunteers. Students who undertake their elective training at Lok Hospital may qualify for an increased Student Elective Bursary. For full details of current volunteer and elective vacancies, and an application form, please contact:
Dr Stephen Alfred,
1104/84 Kalpavruksha, Vasant Vihar, Pokhran No 2, Thane 400601,
Maharashtra, India
Telephone 91 22 543 7799
Fax 91 22 534 1863
AVSAR
AVSAR is a Pratham USA and a Niramaya Health Foundation program. Exciting clinical rotations are being coordinated through the leadership of AVSAR in participation with Indicorps, AMSA, and AAPI-MSRF. Objectives for this program include: providing an opportunity for personal growth; exposing medical students to an extremely unique clinical environment; and mobilizing a large population healthcare professionals desiring international community service opportunities in India. All applicants will be offered an interview, and a maximum of 5 students will be selected. Under the assistance of Indicorps, the leadership of AVSAR will offer a compelling three-day orientation on cultural practices, clinical challenges, and community development issues that will be encountered during the four-week experience. Students participating in this rotation will examine patients in various settings located throughout the underprivileged areas of Mumbai (e.g., health clinics, sweatshops, homes within the slum communities, preschools, etc…). Please click on the link above to find out specifics about available rotations, detailed information about the application process, and other information regarding volunteer opportunities through AVSAR (such as setting up rotations, short-term volunteer opportunities, and long-term volunteer opportunities.
For all other questions or comments, please contact Dr. Ashish Goyal.
Ashish Goyal, MD
Program Director, AVSAR
011 91 9820888974 Mumbai Mobile
(206) 238 - 5709
ashish@goyalmd.com
MedicIndia
Are you interested in putting your recently-acquired medical knowledge into practical use this summer? Are you interested in serving an underserved population? Are you interested in learning about international development and yourself?
MedicIndia is a not-for-profit public service fellowship introducing first-year medical students to social service, development, hands-on-experience, and India. Each year, MedicIndia selects young professionals for a six-week summer service fellowship at the New Civic Hospital in Surat of Gujarat, India. The fellows will quickly acclimate to the new environment and, following a brief orientation, will be enveloped in a challenging and educational environment. Fellows will spend their time rotating through various specialties (including general surgery, pediatrics, rural healthcare, psychology, and various surgical branches). In addition, MedicIndia is driven by a desire to provide increased health services to a developing community. Also, the fellowship looks to expose students to the strength, people, and traditions of India.
Please note the following requirements:
- First-year medical student
- A basic understanding of Hindi, Gujarati, and/or Marathi
- Good standing at an accredited US medical school.
Visit our website or email info@medicindia.org for more information on the MedicIndia fellowship.
Emmanuel Hospital Association
UK based organization offers openings for medical personnel, including medical and dental students, in India . Hospitals, Community Health programs, etc. Includes dental surgery, eye care, physiotherapists. Medical, dental, and elective programs. Free staff accommodations for international volunteers.
Flying Doctors of America
Flies two week (or less) medical - dental teams to the poorest of the poor in rural regions of developing countries including Latin and South America, Albania, Tibet, Africa, Goa ( India ), Guatemala (includes white water rafting), China, Brazil. Many medical skills needed, including Pharmacists, Chiropractors, CMTs, and non-medical staff.
Health Volunteers Overseas (Not necessarily Christian)
Anesthesiologists, internists, oral surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons, pediatricians, public health workers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants PAs, dentists, physical therapists. Works in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Columbia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guyana, India , Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam.
Nazarene Health Care Fellowship
Preclinical or clinical medical students. India , Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine.
Projects Abroad (Not necessarily Christian)
Experience the stark contrast between medical practice in the West and developing countries, and gain unparalleled experience of a number of conditions which have been left untreated and have developed into advanced pathological conditions. For medical, elective, pre-university and pre-med students, etc. China, Ghana, India , Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal and Russia.
SIM International
Twenty five countries including hospitals in Angola, Benin, India , Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Program for medical school rotation open to pre-med students if there is space.
For more info, please contact:
SIM
10 Huntingdale Blvd
Scarborough ON M1W 2S5
Tel: (416) 497-2424
Fax: (416) 497-2444
info@sim.ca
Action Health
Action Health is an international charity based in Cambridge which develops primary health care and training programs in developing countries. We currently work in partnership on 13 health programs with communities in India, Tanzania and Uganda. Our programmes focus on skills transfer and ultimate self-reliance and therefore our partnerships are long-term and our postings specific to the needs of each programme. Our current recruitment needs are for the following: nurse/health educators, health promotion specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and dentists. All of our programmes are concerned with training and we therefore only recruit from people who have had at least two years experience following qualification.
For all other questions or comments, please contact:
Action Health
25 Gwydir Street
Cambridge, CB1 2LG, UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 1223 460853
Fax: + 44 (0) 1223 461787
actionhealth@compuserve
Global Volunteers
Global Volunteers strives to wage peace throughout the world by helping establish mutual understanding between people of diverse cultures. Global Volunteers teams work with and under the direction of local people in areas of English development, community infrastructure, health care, and business instruction and consultation. Because access to medical services in developing communities is very limited, health care volunteers are needed to provide basic services commonplace in North America. Dentists, nurses, physicians and medical students are needed to extract teeth, test eyesight and distribute eyeglasses, check blood sugar levels and blood pressures, examine newborns, provide prenatal care and, in some cases, perform outpatient surgeries. Our host communities' often lack modern medical facilities, so volunteers must provide their own tools and supplies. These projects take place in the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Ghana, Ecuador, Jamaica, Romania, Tanzania.
For more info, please contact:
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1627 U.S.A
Tel: (800) 487-1074, (651) 407-6100
Fax: (651) 482-0915
email@globalvolunteers.org
The Institute for International Cooperation and Development IICD
The Institute for International Cooperation and Development (IICD) is a non-profit organization that trains and sends volunteers to work on educational, environmental, agricultural, health and community development projects in Africa, Latin America and India. Applications accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Programs vary in length, between 6-18 months.
For more info, please contact:
The Institute for International Cooperation and Development IICD
PO Box 520
Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
Tel: (413) 458-9828
Fax: (413) 458-3323
iicdinfo@berkshire.net
The International Medical Volunteers Association
IMVA is a clearinghouse of information relating to medical volunteerism overseas. IMVA maintains a website rich in information about such opportunities. Though geared primarily toward healthcare professionals, the website has a students' corner, and many of the volunteer-seeking agencies profiled welcome college and medical students. It's a good place to find out about summer courses and electives/ rotations in non-English-speaking cultures.
For more info, please contact:
The International Medical Volunteers Association
PO Box 205
Woodville, MA 01784-0205, USA
Tel: (508) HELPERS (435-7377)
Fax: (508) 497-9568
Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)
Volunteers are sent abroad by the international MSF to 70 different countries. Their website details how to volunteer.
For more info, please contact:
Medecins Sans Frontieres - Doctors without Borders
Suite 5B, 355 Adelaide Street
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1S2
Tel: (416) 586-9820
Fax: (416) 586-9821
msfcan@passport.ca
M.E.D.I.C.O.
The Medical, Eye & Dental International Care Organization, Inc, (MEDICO) is a not-for- profit tax exempt humanitarian organization that sends medical mission teams to Central America providing free medical care to those living in remote areas of the country and who have little or no access to such basic care. Teams are made up of 15-20 volunteers, each paying their own way to serve. Teams are composed of physicians, dentists, optometrists, medical school students as well as lay volunteers. Each team is hosted by a designated nonprofit organization within the country being served. MEDICO provides a wonderful opportunity to serve those less fortunate in a special way and to meet other caring individuals from all across America and Canada.
For more info, please contact:
Lynda Peters, Executive Director
M.E.D.I.C.O.
2955 Dawn Drive, Ste. D
Georgetown, TX 78628
Tel: (512)863-8666, (512)930-1893
Fax: (512)869-7500
info@medico.org
Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore
Work in the Low Cost Effective Care (LCEC) and Ida Scudder Inpatient Units.
Outpatient presentations of general medical and pediatric problems including diabetes complications, such as ulcers and cellulitis, strokes, hypertension, and gynecological issues. Patients are all economically disadvantaged and may receive secondary care for all types of illnesses, including surgical procedures. Daily outpatient clinic, open until last patient seen each morning. 30% of cases are pediatric. Labs done at the inpatient Ida Scudder ward located down the street (40 -50 beds), where admissions are sent. Medications on ward are free, and after morning clinic all staff come to the inpatient ward. Afternoon work rounds on ward with mentor, Dr. Sara Bhattarcharji. Rounds conducted in English, but patients and doctors speak Tamil to each other. Interpreter present. On Saturdays residents attend conferences and teaching rounds.
