Medical Volunteering in Namibia

Namibia is a fascinating country that cannot be compared to any other. It’s a place to experience wide-open spaces, friendly people, unique heritage and magnificent landscapes. A wonderful place to visit, volunteer and fall in love with the country, Namibia offers a unique adventure in its unspoiled desert sands. Join us and participants from around the world in this amazing nation by choosing from our medical, community, and wildlife volunteer opportunities.

The project is committed to improving the lives of the San community through education, health care and improved living conditions. The project is a great choice for volunteers with an interest in health care, community service, nutrition and medicine.

The clinic is dedicated to the health and welfare of the San Bushman community. The San are considered to be the oldest culture in the world and are traditionally hunter-gatherers. They have been forced from their original lands, which are increasingly being used for grazing cattle, leaving the San unable to carry on their traditional lifestyle. Bushman are treated as third-class citizens and live in extreme poverty. The project is committed to improving the lives of the San community through education, healthcare and improved living conditions. The project aims to give the next generation of this poverty-stricken community the education, healthcare and help they need to survive and to build a brighter, healthier future.

The medical team, with the support of San translators, treat around 3,500 patients every year. Approximately 40% are children and babies and more than 9ß% are San. As well as examining and treating patients at the clinic and at our outreach sites, we transport and admit patients in urgent need of medical attention to the nearest hospital 120km away. A large focus of the work is to tackle the tuberculosis burden within the San population. The clinic is quite literally a lifeline for thousands of San Bushman.

Common diseases amongst child patients include fungal infections, intestinal worms, diarrhea, dehydration, malnutrition and mouth infections. By themselves, these infections and illnesses may not be particularly severe. However, if left untreated, they will get much worse, leading to complications and in severe cases, even death. In addition to working at the Lifeline Clinic, the team also runs regular outreach clinics at local schools, resettlement villages and farms. A recently added Agricultural Project has started at the Lifeline Clinic, where the local San community is educated in growing their own vegetables to sell at local markets.

Your Role:

You work alongside the clinic’s doctor and nurse to learn about the common diseases affecting the local population and how to treat them. You work closely with patients from the local San community. Your training will be tailored to your skills, level, background and knowledge. Prospective medical students can expect to be trained in basic clinical skills, such as history-taking and patient examinations. Trained professionals are asked to conduct consultations with patients and to assist with outreach work. Trained professionals therefore have the opportunity to have a real impact on the people who are at most in need of help.

Your tasks depend on your experience and background. Please note that medical professionals must be registered in Namibia to provide medical treatment Whatever your background/experience of, you will assist with the daily duties of the clinic, which may include:

Recording patient observations: blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturations, temperature
Observations: pregnancy tests and urine tests for patients and recording findings.
Weighing babies and keeping growth charts.
Recording blood pressure.
Glucose testing and recording.
Basic wound cleaning and dressing
Help in the pharmacy: stock control, packing medicine and new orders.
Family planning.
Project data input.
Sorting donated clothing and other items.
Playing with the local children who attend the clinic.
准备食物包ages for patients.
Recording patient information and survey responses on outreach trips.
General maintenance work in the clinic.
Agricultural Project: Cleaning of horticultural area, watering of seedings, pruning of plants, harvesting,
packaging.
IT, DIY, gardening, painting or anything an isolated clinic can use are highly valued.
Volunteers often have special skills that are invaluable to the clinic and we encourage you to use them and suggest new activities that you feel the project will benefit from.

It is important to note that this description serves as an example only. The daily tasks and challenges depend on the volunteer and the work that needs to be done. The final job description can therefore vary substantially from the above.