Hands-On Medical Volunteer Experience in Nepal

About the Medical Camp in Nepal

A medical camp in Nepal aims to give primary medical and health services to poor communities In Nepal. We move medical camps to different villages in and around the Kathmandu valley and through the suburbs of Kathmandu to help the locals destitute population. The camp stays at each village for one or two weeks to provide primary health care services and relocating when needed. By being part of this program, you can use your medical skills and knowledge for the greater good and have a positive impact on the lives of those who need your care.

The Nepal medical camp offers you hands on medical volunteer experience. You will give treatment and essential health care information to the elders, women, disabled people and orphan children who have been left to fend for themselves. You will diagnose them, treat them accordingly, and give basic health education on different topics such as how to purify water to prevent water and fecal-borne diseases, cholera outburst, diarrhea and stomach bugs.

The camp will be led and supervised by a local doctor (s), who will also be your team leader. He or she will help you in every step of your experience by explaining to you the common health issues, allocating patients and responsibilities, giving advice when necessary, and solving communication problem.

Please note that there may be occasions where mobile medical camps cannot be offered to remote villiages and communities. In these situations, volunteers seeking hands-on medical experiences will be placed in the hospital to work in collaboration with physicians.

Skills and Qualifications

Anyone with a professional medical background, from medical students to the most experienced doctors can participate in the Nepal medical volunteering program. This volunteering opportunity is open to medical students, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, midwives, gynecologists, dentists, paramedics, EMTs, physical therapists. However, the opportunities are not strictly limited to this list.

During your time volunteering in Nepal, you will see for yourself how the health care system works in a different country and experience the impact every volunteer can have in each village.

Your local team leader

Your local team leader will be a local doctor. In Nepal, the medical camp will be led and coordinated by an experienced local doctor The leader will give advice, guidance, supervision, offer knowledge about the local health issues, and help you to have the most rewarding medical volunteer abroad experience.

Your team leader will be in charge of coordinating volunteers and theirs tasks to ensure that everyone's medical expertise is used efficiently. H or she will stay with the team during the whole program period. Your team leader will be a knowledgeable, qualified and experienced local doctor and point of call every step of the project. Sometimes, depending on the needs of the medical volunteer team, local nurses and interpreters will work with you too.

A Sample Itinerary (one week)

The daily program itinerary of Nepal medical camp varies with the needs of the communities, interests of the group, goals of the program, or other related factors. You can expect different tasks and responsibilities each day. There isn't a fixed program itinerary. Below is a sample of what your program itinerary might look like.

Day 1: Orientation and Q&A session about the medical camp

Your Nepal medical volunteer experience starts with an orientation program in our Kathmandu office. During this session, your team leader will explain everything that you need to know about the Nepal volunteer medical program. It will start with an introduction to your host country: its culture, history, geography, politics, demographics and contemporary issues.

Afterward, your will learn about the medical camp and how it is run: its purpose, location, activities, users, and the common medical conditions. Your duties and responsibilities will also be explained during this time, along with information about health and safety procedures, your accommodations, meals, transports, what to do and what not to do during your program and in Nepal.

In the end, your team leader will answer your questions, clarify any doubt you might have, and review the daily itinerary for the week. You will learn valuable information during this comprehensive orientation that will help you as a medical volunteer who is about to serve the local communities abroad.

If time allows, you will visit the medical camp for the first time. Depending on what happens that day, you might even start your volunteer activities

Day 2-5: Beginning of your experience as a medical volunteer in the medical camp

Breakfast will be served at 7 am, in order to make sure that you get to the medical camp before 8 am.

8 – 9 am: Set up camp

As soon as you arrive, you will start helping with the preparation tasks. Everything must be ready prior to the arrival of the first patients. Your tasks during this time will include things like cleaning and setting up the patient check-up area.

9 – 1 pm: Patient check-ups

The medical camp doors will open at 9 am. The villagers will arrive from 9 am onwards.

From 9 am to 1 pm, you will be busy examining and treating local patients, discussing their health issues with them, and advising your patients on hygiene and offering basic healthcare education. The Nepal medical camp is an excellent opportunity to learn new techniques and skills, gain hands on medical experience, and to use your existing medical expertise to help those who are suffering and struggling in Nepal.

There will be a 30-minute break from 11 am to 11:30 am to rest and to refresh.

1 pm: Closing of the medical camp

The medical camp will close at 1 pm. You will go back to the volunteer house and eat a delicious typical Nepalese dish. After lunch, you can talk about the next day's tasks or explore areas around the volunteer house. A local team will be happy to help at any time.

Day 6– 7: Off days

Most medical camps run from Monday to Friday; during the weekend you will have free time to explore the villages, the temples, visit the capital, or one of the many Nepalese landmarks. After ten years of running volunteering programs in Nepal and assisting thousands of volunteers, we are in a prime position to help you to plan your weekend. We can offer you from travel information or organize a day for you. Let us know what you need.

This program starts again on the following week.

Important Notice: The sample itinerary above is just to give you a general idea of how we run the medical camp. Prior to your departure, we will send you a final customized itinerary of your medical volunteer trip in Nepal.

Dates

Global Crossroad's medical camp starts on the first and third Monday of each month. However, if you have a small group of more than three volunteers who want to join the program, we can create a customized program to allow your group to start at any date that is more convenient for your group.

Important notice: You can join Global Crossroad's International medical camp individually or in a group. We need a minimum of 3 volunteers to run the camp. Therefore, we request that you invite others to make a small group. Or, if this is not possible, please apply at least 2 or 3 months in advance so we can inform you - at least a month in advance - in case we have to cancel the camp setup due to failing to meet the minimum number of volunteers required.

Fees

Global Crossroad offers one of the most affordable medical volunteer abroad programs. Our cost is extremely affordable. Global Crossroad's international medical camp offers a hands-on medical volunteer experience to volunteers while running the stand alone camp and covering most of the expenses related to the medical camp such as local doctors, nurses, medicine, water, etc.

The Global Crossroad's registration fee is $299.

Weekly fee

One Week - $550
Two weeks - $860

What does the fee cover?

• Airport pick up and drop off
• Accommodation
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Food (3 local meals a day)
• Support & supervision from local doctors and team

What's not included?

• Airfare
• Daily transportation
• Visa
• Personal expenses
• $100 donation to buy and distribute free medicines to local people - you can pay it locally.

Housing, Food, and Supervision

As a medical volunteer in Nepal, you will stay in our volunteer house. The volunteer house is a unique place designed only for international volunteers. It's a big house with many shared bedrooms, one of which you will share with one same gender volunteer. There are communal areas and shared facilities to make your stay more enjoyable such as community rooms with a television, a kitchen, bathrooms with running water and "western-style" toilets. It's the perfect place to relax after a busy morning volunteering. It's in a safe and clean neighborhood with grocery shops, restaurants, public transport and Internet cafes.

The program also covers the food. Our cooks will prepare and serve delicious typical Nepalese food three times per day for you. The traditional Nepalese dishes include rice, vegetables, wheat bread, curries, daal, and pickles.

Global Crossroad has been running volunteer programs in Nepal since 2003. We have a very strong team of country coordinators. During your stay in Nepal, the Global Crossroad local team will do their best to help you to enjoy your medical volunteering trip in Nepal. The team will provide you with all sorts of logistical support like transportation to and from the airport and to and from the medical camp. However, the most important point of call and support will be your team leader.

Travel and Extending Your Stay

By the end of this medical volunteering program in Nepal, you might decide that you want to extend you stay. You can totally do this! You can extend your stay by participating in another volunteering program with Global Crossroad or just venture out and explore on your own. Other volunteering programs range from teaching English to working with orphan children. Let us know what you would like to do; we will be happy to help you make this extension possible!