From the exotics to the tropics

It was fascinating to be able to observe plastic surgery in Nepal. Whilst the specialty in Australia is hugely embodied by the cosmetic part, the same cannot be said in Nepal. The student got to (literally) got his whole body bloody while assisting in surgeries involving burns patients with significant total body surface area lost. Full body grafting and skin transplant skills became second nature. It was also quite a shock to observe the inadequate analgesic use in settings such as cleaning wounds and dressing changes. The patients were evidently in extreme pain. However, due to the poor resource setting, compromise needed to be made.

Apart from learning about the medical intricate of various pathologies, the student opted to live with Nepali families. He also was invited over dinners and to a Nepali wedding. It was intriguing to observe the lifestyle, customs, beliefs and cuisine. Many families rely on wood fire to prepare their meals as they could not afford a stove. It is therefore no secret that most burns patients were housewives. Apart from the risk of burning themselves, the whole family including the children seemed to be untouched by the indoor air pollution from cooking whilst the student was coughing and wheezing away. With poor traffic control, overcrowding and seemingly non-existent road rules, accidents rate was extremely high in Nepal. Besides fractures, infection such as osteomyelitis was also extremely common. This is probably due to the elevated baseline of antibiotics resistance in the community in Nepal.

After the placement in Nepal, the medical student then went on to work in the Lautoka Hospital emergency department. Besides the usual history taking and examination, the student had a fantastic time being given numerous opportunities to upskill various medical procedures such as cannulations, indwelling catheter changes, arterial blood gases collection, incision and suturing. Alan also got involved with various resuscitations. He was assigned numerous times to cannulate during these times. It was an amazing feeling to be able to be a significant part of the team.

These placements have fuelled the medical student’s interest to serve the less privileged population. It was truly eye-opening to observe and be involved with the “raw” medicine in these countries. Besides making friends, enjoying sceneries, learning cultures, the student was able to reflect and uplift his future prospect of working with organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres. He highly encourages future students to venture out to complete placements overseas and will be extremely keen to hear your stories!

For any questions, comments or discussions related to these experiences, feel free to contact Alan at alan.hu@my.jcu.edu.au