For the sixth consecutive year, UC Davis Health radiology And emergency drug Doctors visited Gambia to provide two weeks of class training and practical training to local doctors.
The initiative aims to improve the diagnostic capacities of health care providers in the West African country and to improve access to care. This year’s program has focused on abdomen care and cardiac and pulmonary pathology.
“The return to Gambia to work with such health professionals was a privilege,” said Christine McBethDeputy professor of emergency medicine at UC Davis Health and course director of the training program. “Our goal was to educate and train local doctors in new tools to take care of seriously ill patients with abdominal, respiratory and heart conditions beyond our visit.”
“We believe in the construction of the next generation of doctors who need to be competent worldwide not only to do a good job and help other communities, but to give them experience in the cultural competence they can use to help our various patients in Sacramento.”–Christine McBeth
Offer residents opportunities to grow
Many residents and scholarship holders find it difficult to balance between professional and private life and professional exhaustion.
The trip of 6,000 miles to Gambia helped Ryan Lim, the resident of radiology, Ryan Lim with his medical objective.
“It was great to be exposed to another health system, especially the lower one,” said Lim. “Seeing that doctors there were to do everything reminded me that there were a lot of skills that I did not develop. It was an excellent reminder that I had to continue to seek more ways to grow myself. ”
The work that he and his colleagues resident in radiology Andrew Nelson and Harjot Virka, as well as the world of global emergency health, Juliette Gerardo, have done in Gambia is not something that they will soon forget.
“The biggest point to remember for me was a feeling of empowerment,” added Lim. “Many of us enter into residence by feeling as if we do not know much – but, knowing that I was at a time of training to educate other doctors and contribute to something significant reminded me of the impact I can have in this profession.”
“We believe in the construction of the next generation of doctors who need to be competent worldwide not only to do a good job and help other communities, but to give them experience in the cultural skills they can use to help our Various Sacramento group,” said McBeth. “Having this kind of exhibition and education only makes stronger doctors.”
Bring necessary skills at home
Residents were not the only doctors on a trip to learn and grow. Among the other participants was Maud M. MorshediAssociate Professor and Director of World Health for Radiology.
“There is such dependence in the United States in terms of technology and specialized equipment,” he shared. “In Gambia, they are masters to contest with what they have, and it was a good reminder to see how medicine can work in a low resource framework.”
Morshedi and his comrades of participation during the trip also took lessons from local doctors on many diseases that are not often seen in the United States.
“The disease does not stop at the border of a country.” –Maud M. Morshedi
“The disease does not stop at the border of a country,” said Morshedi. “Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen many diseases return to the United States that we have not seen for years. We need to learn to treat these diseases again. ”
In recent years, the United States has seen epidemics of mpox, measles, bird flu, ebola viruses and malaria, according to the American academy of family doctors.
“When they visit places like Gambia, they are experts in the treatment of many diseases,” added Morshedi. “During our visit, I learned a lot from the presentation of treatment, physical exams and ultrasound results for many of these conditions.”
Creation of a self -sufficient health system abroad
Gambia is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa.
Although he has made substantial progress in access and providing health care, he still has a shortage of health care providers. A report of World Health Organization (WHO) said the country has 1.33 skilled health workers for 1,000 people, unless the WHO benchmark.
“Our goal with this training is to build longitudinal programs that can really improve patient care,” said McBeth. “Allowing local health care providers to improve the level of care in Gambia will help create a self -sufficient health system that can only help the country to prosper.”
Large rounds to come
To share more details on the work in progress in Gambia, Lamin Jaiteh, a partner of the UC Davis health team and a general surgeon and a surgical scholarship holder at the Edward Frances Small Hospital, will be in Sacramento for a big round on May 1 Medical educationroom 1204.
Jaiteh will share the efforts made to strengthen sustainable emergency and surgery in contexts with low resources, highlighting the impact of innovation and collaboration in the transformation of the health care system in Gambia.
After his speech, McBeth and his team will share on the continuous efforts of UC Davis Health in Gambia. RSVP For the conference, lunch and the round table.