Challenge:

Medicine and Healthcare

Destination:

*Peru

Departure Dates From:

24/05/2008

Discounts available for placements over 12 weeks.  Please call Mad HQ for more information. 

Health reform was initiated in Peru in 1997 in an attempt to improve the availability, affordability and efficiency of the healthcare system.

Peru's healthcare indicators are poor with high levels of infant and maternal mortality. The main objective of the Ministry of Health is to focus on prevention education and reduction of infant and maternal mortality. Our medic placements offer you the chance to experience Peruvian healthcare in both hospitals and rural communities.

Local Payment:  USD500 (per 4 weeks or less) is required at the beginning of your placement and is given directly to the hospitial.  The local kitty payment will be used partly to fund doctors who are mentoring you in the hospital and out-lying provincial areas, but also towards the lecture programme that you will undertake.

Qualifications: Pre and post graduates may apply.  At least basic conversational Spanish required.

Experience available: general medicine, emergencies, maternity / post-natal care / child development, health campaigns in rural areas.  Most specialist preferences can be catered to in the regional hospital on demand. 

Health Centre in Cusco city centre.  Your placement will involve a selection of the following: post-natal care and child development, maternity, general medicine and emergencies. Twice monthly, staff go out to poorer nearby villages for health campaigns, e.g. giving out anti-parasitics and second-hand clothes, which you can participate in. 

Urcos health centreThe town of Urcos, about an hour away from Cusco is the head of the Quispicanchi province and as such sees quite a large volume of patients from the surrounding towns and villages. The health centre will give you an insight into medicine in semi-rural high-altitude areas of the Andes, offering general medecine it treating many respiratory disorders typical of area’s climate and poverty levels. You may well also be involved with campaigns and field work in surrounding villages. Accommodation: in a local hotel.

Ollantaytambo.  This is a semi-rural health centre, located at the start point for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Here you will have the opportunity to see medical cases typical of small-town Peru in an area somewhat wealthier than the two previous centres. The climate is also very different and thus the medical problems affecting the population will also be distinct. 

Cusco Regional Hospital.  Many of the doctors who work here are the best in the field and specialist cases are referred to the RH from a large area around Cusco, and also from jungle areas to the east of Cusco. The departments you would spend time in would be based on your personal preferences and interests, and you will work morning shifts (8am - 12.30pm) with a different doctor each morning.

Venturers Role:

You will have the opportunity to gain experience in both hospital and community medicine. Hospital practice will involve you shadowing or assisting doctors and nurses in a variety of departments depending on experience and area of interest. With community medicine you will have the opportunity to accompanying doctors and nurses from the hospital to villages, and towns in rural locations to assist in an outreach programme, delivering medical assistance and health education to those who are too remote or cannot afford to travel to Cuzco for treatment.

Location:

Our medic placements are based in and around the city of Cuzco. Located 3400m above sea level in the Andes Mountains, Cuzco was once the centre of the great Inca Empire and is home to some 300,000 people. The city attracts a great deal of tourism - not least as the base for getting to the Inca Trail and the ruined Inca city of Machu Picchu - but the narrow cobbled streets and local craft markets still retain all of their traditional charm, with llamas wandering past the Internet cafes and bars being a common sight!

Accommodation:

You will be living in our Madventurer House in Cuzco, which is the perfect base from which to explore this vibrant and exciting city. You will share the house with our Madventurer crew leader who will oversee your project, and provide you all the support and guidance you need to get the most from your project.

Note: During time spent in Urcos Health Centre, accommodation Monday - Thursday inclusive will be in a hotel close to the Health Centre.

What's included:All meals, accommodation and transport is provided and our experienced crew arrange airport pick you up's , introduce the project and organise it's structure. They have responsibility to be on-hand for 24 hour support, assistance and to share their insider knowledge of Peru.