As a medical volunteer in India with PMGY, you will have a fantastic opportunity to gain first-hand experience and insight into Indian health care. Medical volunteers in India work with highly trained local staff. This gives individuals exposure and tuition that they are unlikely to obtain in their own country. If you are thinking of studying, or even pursuing a healthcare career, joining PMGY’s India medical programs will offer you essential first-hand experience that will assist in your career development.
BACKGROUND TO THE MEDICAL PROGRAM
Despite advances in India’s healthcare system, much of the population still experiences poor health. This is largely due to a lack of awareness of health issues. Additionally, many Indians simply cannot afford regular, if any, medical treatment. The projects we support therefore offer free, or highly subsidised, healthcare to local people from slum and rural communities.
Our main project for India medical volunteers focuses on supporting medical camps within slum communities. In these areas, there is a prominent lack of health education and access to medical help. To contribute to improving this, we have established our primary healthcare clinic, running all year round in the heart of the core slum community we support. Additionally, our team established pop-up clinics across some of the local area’s poorest communities. This helps to ensure our team and international volunteers can make the biggest impact possible.
As a medical volunteer in India, you will have the opportunity to experience a variety of different medical facilities. This can range from shadowing in surgeries to sitting in on GP consultations. We offer medical placements for people of all backgrounds. Therefore, if you’re a school leaver looking for work experience to boost your university application, we can accommodate you. Alternatively, if you’re a nursing/medical student organising an overseas elective placement, we also have you covered. Our medical project in India is considered one of the best places to volunteer abroad.
MEDICAL VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLES
Slum Outreach Health Campaigns - The healthcare clinics we run are the core of the medical volunteer project in India. Our primary clinic is based in the Sector 10 community which is where the Volunteer House is based and where the local team resides. The centre acts as the main point of health access for the local community. This is particularly important since individuals here may not otherwise have access to any other form of healthcare in what is a deprived community.
Our medical staff can see anywhere from 15-30 patients daily at the Sector 10 clinic. The doctors are employed by the local team and provide primary healthcare and medical check-ups to members of the local community.
PMGY periodically runs free medical camps across other poor communities in Faridabad. The slums we work in at any point in time are dictated by the communities that have the greatest need. The more volunteers we have, the more outreach campaigns the local team can run and the more slum communities we can support. We hire a local doctor to lead the campaigns and supervise volunteers. Our team continues to supply the relevant medical supplies and equipment needed. An interpreter is also recruited to help PMGY India medical volunteers overcome the language barrier when interacting with patients.
Whilst it cannot be guaranteed, medical volunteers in India may be assigned some very basic hands-on involvement. This may include taking blood pressure, blood sugar and dressing minor wounds. This is all undertaken under the supervision of the staff you will be attached to during your time. The local staff are extremely welcoming and very keen for volunteers to learn. Although the patient interactions will be in Hindi, the doctors speak English and will explain everything to you in English. Otherwise, an interpreter will be available to help PMGY India medical volunteers overcome the language barrier when interacting with patients.
We welcome medical volunteers of all backgrounds to join this medical volunteer abroad program. Participants often have the chance to learn basic skills when assisting doctors in seeing the patients. You will also get the chance to see and learn about interesting clinical signs and syndromes typically found in slum communities.
Volunteers receive ongoing training and mentoring from the local doctor, enabling each participant to get as involved as possible. The range of health conditions encountered in the slums is vast. Although many patients only have simple problems, they benefit immensely from specialist input.
Shadowing in a Hospital Setting - We have several hospitals within our network. Volunteers will have the opportunity to shadow within hospital departments. Here, individuals may be able to carry out basic health checks on patients during doctor’s rounds.
Common departments volunteers in India will be placed within at the hospital include ultrasound, paediatrics, ophthalmology, gynaecology, laboratory, non-urgent care and theatre.
Volunteers tend to be placed in private hospitals across Faridabad as they provide more opportunities for volunteers and greater support from the local doctors. There are more surgeries to observe and more exposure to be had within the hospital network that the local team partners with.
Medical volunteers in India can also witness surgeries. However, these are on an ad hoc basis. You will, therefore, be notified a day in advance or even on the day once the surgeries have been confirmed. Naturally, we cannot guarantee those specific surgeries will take place. In any case, it can be a real eye-opening experience to see the difference between hospitals in India compared to those at home.
GP Clinic - Here, participants can work alongside a local doctor. Medical volunteers will assist in carrying out basic health checks on members of the local community in a bustling street market. Usually, the doctor sees up to 100 patients daily. The clinic can run in both morning and late evening time, usually around 2-3 hours each session. This may allow for basic hands-on involvement if volunteers choose to undertake such an opportunity.
Community Visits - Volunteers will accompany local doctors as they conduct a range of health checks across different community settings. Examples include visits to local schools and the Sector 10 community projects to undertake health screening of students. Volunteers will usually get a chance to administer basic first aid to the children. Additionally, visits to care homes in the community to conduct health screening on the more vulnerable and elderly. Volunteers can extend their support in this setting by helping with the cooking and preparing meals for the residents. The motive of the local team remains to help the deprived local community as much as possible.
STUDENT ELECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
We are able to provide specialist elective placements for students in India. Students looking to enjoy a unique overseas elective experience can do so with PMGY. Learn directly from health professionals in medical settings like no other. As a medical volunteer in India, you can specify during the online application process which clinical elective you wish to undertake. More specifically, highlight your elective experience in the 'Special Requirements' section of the online application. The PMGY India team will then have everything planned and in place for your elective in India.
Medical - Gain practical medical experience and insight on your medical elective in India. Work alongside local doctors in outreach work to support some of Delhi’s poorest people. Build cultural connections and learn directly from doctors as you play a leading role in supporting the slum outreach health campaigns. Shadow clinics and consultations and conduct basic health checks as we provide free medical care to slum communities. Observe surgeries and compare hospital standards to home. Get hands-on at GP clinics in the ultimate medical elective placement.
Nursing - Your nursing elective in India is full of variety. For example, shadowing nurses in hospitals, supporting slum outreach medical camps and assisting doctors with healthcare checks at community clinics. Throughout your nursing placement, you will learn from the healthcare professionals about healthcare practises in India. Furthermore, you will learn about the prevalent diseases in the local area. Observe numerous departments including paediatrics, emergency and neurology and make your nursing elective in India one not to forget!
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER AS A MEDICAL VOLUNTEER IN INDIA
Return Airport Transfer - Your return airport transfer is not included in your Program Fee. Our local team can help arrange onward transfers to the airport or an alternative destination from the volunteer accommodation. Making specific arrangements once in India provides more flexibility as plans can often change and participants may be on similar flight plans. Alternatively, a more common and cheaper method is to use a ridesharing app. Participants can often be travelling across their final few days and therefore are not necessarily heading back to the airport directly from our accommodation. The costs depend on your method of transport and your final destination. This can often be split across multiple participants if you are travelling with someone else on the program.
Top PMGY Medical Program - The medical volunteer work in India is rated as our top overseas medical program across all PMGY destinations. This is due to the exposure our participants get and the range of projects involved. The program is not only for general medicine and nursing students but also for all those with health-related interests. This opportunity is available to school leavers and those who have never studied medicine before. This is the ultimate experience to make a positive impact within poor communities, regardless of your experience.
Hands-On Involvement - Your level of involvement at the medical volunteer abroad projects is dictated by a range of factors. First of all your medical experience, but also the duration of program and willingness to get involved. The medical staff are accountable for you whilst you’re under their supervision. Ultimately, it is completely up to them if you are permitted and want to get involved in hands-on procedures.
Previous PMGY medical volunteer in India participants have been given the chance to administer IV injections, dress wounds etc. However, please note we can never guarantee or promote hands-on involvement regardless of medical experience or background.
Generally speaking those with little or no medical experience assume a largely observational role. If you are studying a medically related degree, then you should have more opportunity to undertake some more basic hands-on involvement. However, to reiterate we can never guarantee or endorse hands-on experience should you choose to get hands-on. Such a decision ultimately lies with the medical staff.
Trained Professionals - Please note this program is not suitable for trained professionals who are looking to practise overseas. This opportunity is only suitable for school leavers & medical students looking to go into the medical or nursing field and wish to learn about a healthcare system overseas.
Group Medical Trips - PMGY provide affordable group trips to India for academic institutions and societies from around the world. From only 699 GBP per person (group leaders travel free), our 15 day trip to India is fully structured, inclusive and led by our experienced team. Organising an overseas trip for large groups involves lots of preparation. From flights and insurance to pre-trip training and that’s even before you’ve looked at organising the itinerary! So that’s where PMGY come in. We really do specialise in the group’s overseas expedition area providing exclusive group trips whilst accommodating large groups of students, on full board options. We guarantee to provide trusted and vetted medical project settings that provide great insight, exposure and learning opportunities for students.
Project Flexibility - There may be an opportunity as a volunteer in India to get involved with other India volunteer programs. However, there may be instances where this would lead to overcrowding on these volunteering experiences, and thus limited project work opportunity. Therefore, such flexibility on a volunteer trip to India is not always possible. Priority will always be given to those signed up to that specific program in India.
Weekends - Your project work in India runs from Monday-Friday and weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our India Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend.
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