Blue-Med Africa

Hello my name is Thomas Bull and I stayed with Blue-Med Africa for a month during the summer of 2010. This was the summer between my second and third year of the graduate medicine degree at the University of Southampton. I was looking to experience medicine in a completely different context, as well as increase my clinical confidence prior to commencing my clinical rotations in third year. I have to say that I definitely made the right choice in Blue-Med Africa. My doubts were that I would be better off going with a more established company rather than Blue-Med. However, if you choose to go with other companies (which I can’t mention by name here) you will find that the money you pay goes to a British or American company and much of it doesn’t reach Ghana. Blue-Med on the other hand is based in Ho and run by a small team of local volunteers. It is a very humbling experience that people with comparatively less wealth put so much of their time and money into running Blue-Med. Every penny which you pay towards Blue-Med goes to helping the local population: for example purchasing child vaccines, medical equipment and materials for wound dressing. The long-term dream for these guys is to open the first completely free clinic in Ho, staffed by volunteers, and it is great to know your money contributes to this as well rather than an office somewhere else. That said your impact as a volunteer is two-fold. As I have said you can actually see the impact of the funds you provide which is great. However, you can also provide much needed help in the rural outreach clinics which are the highlight of your week. You will find yourself travelling one-two hours to remote rural villages to set up a clinic in a church or dusty square, helping people who never see health professionals unless they are very, very sick. Their gratitude and happiness is both rewarding and humbling. Two or three days are spent on outreach and the rest is spent in hospitals. I have seen amazing surgery (on pathologies you just wouldn’t see in the West), helped in outpatient clinics and had very helpful teaching on ward-rounds form the local doctors who are excellent. In terms of support and organization I cannot speak highly enough about Blue-Med. Accommodation is either in home-stay or in the Blue-Med house, both of which are excellent. Families are welcoming and accommodation is safe and clean. The Blue-Med staff are very supportive helping you get orientated in town, taking you shopping, or even finding you a bar to watch an important football game! They will become your best friends in Ghana and you won’t want to leave. The volunteer community in Ho is quite small and you will meet most of the other volunteers at the hospital or in the evening. The Blue-Med package is by far the best value for money, and provides better support, accommodation, food and outreaches. I wouldn’t write this if it wasn’t true! If you want to speak to me more email Richard from Blue-Med and he can give you my email address. I’m not that keen to put it up on the internet as I don’t want to receive hundreds of emails, but if you’re genuinely interested and you want to check I’m real then I’m happy email you back. Thomas Bull (3rd Year Medical Student , University of Southampton)

My volunteering experience in Ghana with Blue-Med was amazing. I volunteered in the local hospital, spending time in different departments such as the childrens ward and maternity ward. I assisted the nurses and took blood pressures and temperatures, dressed wounds and observed many other nursing tasks. I also volunteered on medical outreach to various Ghanaian communities which was an excellent experience. During outreach we would provide health education to adults and children, take blood pressures, dress wounds, give advice, weigh babies and do health checks on children. The Ghanaian people were all very friendly, and participating the Ghanaian culture added to make it a great experience!