Country: Peru
Length of Trip: Not available
Trips per Year to Latin America: Not available
Cost: Not available
Urban/Rural: Both
Type of Volunteer: Physician/mid-level provider, Nurse, Healthcare-related trainee, Dental
Type of Organization: Secular NGO
Type of Clinic: Mobile or Informal Clinic, Standing Clinic, Hospital Based Clinic
Description:
Medical, dental, and other volunteers are welcome. Contact us well in advance of desired dates of service as coordination with Peruvian health authorities and considerable logistic arrangements are required. Two types of medical service opportunities are available:
1. Boat-Based Medical Service Trips: These are generally anchored by Peruvian medical personnel, but include the participation of national and international medical professionals, students, and other volunteers. Such trips have translation capabilities (for non-Spanish speakers), and include accommodations and meals once the boat departs from Iquitos, Peru. Short-term internships are available for medical and undergraduate students wishing to the reduce the costs of participation. Contact devon@projectamazonas.org for details on upcoming trips.
2. Service at Urban or Rural Public or Private Clinics and Hospitals: Arrangements are made directly with directors/staff of such facilities for service periods ranging from two weeks (minimum) to several months. Conversational Spanish ability is essential. Accommodations may be at the facility itself or in the surrounding community. Ask for the clinic placement document.
In general, there are 12 spaces available for medical and other volunteers on boat-based medical expeditions. Short-term internships are available for medical and undergraduate students wishing to reduce the costs of expedition participation.
Activities of Medical and Dental Volunteers
On service trips, volunteers assist with collecting patient histories and data, collecting community-level health information, photographic documentation, dispensing of prescribed medicines, and instructing patients on the proper use of medicines and preventative health care techniques. Qualified volunteers also directly attend, or assist with attending patients. Volunteers interested in dental, pediatric, internal and general medicine will have ample opportunities to interact with patients and medical personnel in those fields. Opportunities for more specialized fields (surgery, neurobiology, etc.) will be restricted largely to the Iquitos area. In most remote clinics and health posts, the full range of patients and medical conditions are seen, but some patients will be sent to larger centers (i.e. Iquitos) for diagnosis or treatment due to the local lack of specialized equipment and lab facilities. Most rural clinics have power only a few hours daily (if at all), and facilities and equipment are limited. Such clinics are the only medical facilities available for the populations of most riverine communities.
There is a high demand for dental attention in all riverine communities, and dental caries/cavities and poor dental care are chronic issues. In most cases, dental attention means extraction of teeth. Except in Iquitos and a few other larger centers, there is no capacity for restorative work and during expeditions it is often impossible to attend to all of those who request extractions. A critical role for dental and other volunteers is education on oral hygiene in the communities visited.
Funding and Costs of Medical Service Trips
Expeditions are funded by private donations and by participant contributions. Teaching/service expeditions are organized by specific medical schools who send their staff and students. These trips accept volunteers on a space available basis, but volunteers need to contribute at the same rate as other participants. Volunteer contributions allow us to cover the participation of Peruvian medical personnel and students, as well as to purchase medicines for use during the clinics. Donations for support of medical service trips are tax-deductible (for US residents), and most participant contributions may also be tax-deductible.
Organizational Base: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Comments
1 comment
Project Amazonas
Sustainability
This organization has an ongoing, formal partnership with LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES in the host community.
Yes
In addition to the visiting volunteers, this organization ensures that there is ALWAYS A LOCAL CLINICIAN visibly involved in clinical care.
Yes
This organization has a staff member or partner organization PERMANENTLY available in the host community.
This rating has been disputed by one or more reviewers.
Yes
This organization has a FORMAL REFERRAL PROCESS for patients who need higher levels of care.
Yes
Education
This organization builds capacity by regularly HELPING TRAIN host providers, local health workers, or community health workers.
Yes
This organization engages in regular PUBLIC HEALTH WORK OR HEALTH PROMOTION in the community.
Yes
Preparedness
Volunteers are PRE-SCREENED before being accepted by this organization.
Yes
Urine dipsticks, pregnancy tests, glucometers are all available, and there is a CLEAR PATHWAY for volunteers to obtain advanced tests that are not immediately available.
Yes
This organization provides PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING for volunteers (i.e. in-person or online).
This rating has been disputed by one or more reviewers.
Yes
This organization provides written CLINICAL PROTOCOLS to volunteers.
This rating has been disputed by one or more reviewers.
No
Efficiency
This organization PROMOTES the visiting clinics to locals by word of mouth or advertisement, or uses a clinic location that is already well known to locals.
Yes
This organization has a formal TRIAGE, priority, appointment, or ticketing system in place for patients visiting the clinic.
Yes
This organization has a formal STAFFING PLAN describing future needs and a recruitment strategy (i.e. for volunteers, local clinicians, translators, and support staff).
Yes
Impact and Safety
This organization solicits written FEEDBACK FROM VOLUNTEERS after the trip is over.
This rating has been disputed by one or more reviewers.
Yes
This organization provides written EVIDENCE BASED CLINICAL GUIDELINES to volunteers, describing an approach to common diseases in the host community.
No
This organization keeps MEDICAL RECORDS that are easily accessible to future clinicians.
Yes
Cost Effectiveness
The FINANCIAL REPORTS for this organization are transparent and easily available (i.e. via website, annual report, etc).
Yes
This organization describes the balance of COSTS AND BENEFITS TO THE HOST COMMUNITY associated with hosting volunteers (i.e. on its website).
No
Based on information provided by 2 reviewer(s).
Length of trips: 7 to 14 days depending on the river visited and the remoteness of the area served
Boat-based trips per year: 10-14 annually
Clinic-based service: Can be arranged at any time during the year
Type of Clinic: Informal (boat-based, setting up in community school, etc.) and formal (at an established brick and mortar clinic constructed on the Orosa River).
August 12, 2017