Natalie visits the Dominican Republic
Last winter Natalie, one of the MSc students, was fortunate enough to travel with Partners for Rural Health to the Dominican Republic to provide healthcare to local populations.
After making our way through security with our individual carry-ons and checked bags full of donated medicines and supplies, we threw our bags into some old-school trucks and hopped on a charter bus which brought us into the mountainous region of Lajas. We stayed at a catholic retreat called Fusimaña, which was comprised of two main buildings, many gazebos, a small chapel, and many dorm-style rooms with bunk beds and mosquito nets.
Natalie was able to spend time in a local hospital at Puerta Plata, several hours’ drive away from the retreat. Patients wait in the crowded clinic for hours to be seen. The group spent time with the staff in the hospital.
While visiting, we were able to give a talk to the hospital staff about diabetes and sugar consumption. Diabetes is a massive problem in the Dominican because of the amount of Diet Coke and other sugary products they consume. They don’t have access to or understand nutritional information the way that we do in the States. My peer who organized the talk had the idea to bring in plastic baggies with granulated sugar inside to get the point across, which was very effective and memorable. They were shocked to see a visual representation of how much sugar you’re supposed to consume in a day versus how much the average Dominican consumes in a day versus how much sugar is in a litre of Coke. The nurses were also given hand-outs to use when working with patients. It was an amazing experience.
For the most part, I worked on the paediatrics team under the supervision of Doctor Pat Patterson. In addition to running full physicals, giving anti-parasitic drugs, painting the children’s teeth with fluoride, and addressing any medical concerns, I helped to design and run an interactive information charla (chat) for the kids. We chose to talk to the kids about good foods and bad foods, during which we played a game to help them figure out which foods were good for us, which were bad for us, and why. Afterward, we played with the kids. They loved when we sung to them in English, especially when we played the hokey-pokey.
While physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging, I left the Dominican Republic exhausted, but happy. My experiences sparked my fascination with the globalisation of healthcare and ignited my passion for providing care to underserved populations. I learned how to take a health history and dissect the important parts of a story, how to do focused and comprehensive assessments, how to speak medical Spanish, how to work both collaboratively and independently, how to provide without western medical supplies, and how to trust my instincts, among numerous other things. I gained confidence in my medical abilities. I was able to see the direct results of my work and the effect that the sustenance of this 20-year-old program has had on the continuity of care in the community. As much as we gave to the Dominican people, they gave back to us ten-fold. Both medically and professionally, the experiences I had in the Dominican Republic have shaped me and advanced my global perspective, for which I am truly grateful.
More information on the trip:
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