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| Black Lion hospital CT/MR pavilion |
I stepped out of the hotel lobby in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to
a tropical downpour. No way would I have been able to walk to the hospital
without being totally soaked, including my backpack with my laptop. The doorman
saw my desperate look and told me to wait, as he was talking with a gentleman
in a nice car waiting in front of the hotel. He then told me to step in and that
he would take care of it. I told the driver that I was on my way to teach in
the local hospital and we had a nice conversation while he made sure I arrived
dry and safely. When I wanted to pay him, he refused, saying, “Thank you for
what you do for my country.”
This is the kind of experience you can expect when working
in a developing country as a volunteer. Not only do you make a big difference
by spending your time and sharing expertise, but it is also very rewarding, and
excellent “feel-good” therapy. The people you interact with greatly appreciate
your contribution; not only the professionals that directly benefit from the
shared knowledge, but many others that you encounter on the street or at your
hotel.
In this particular trip, I was doing a RAD-AID sponsored IT
assessment of the PACS system at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. We
were trying to solve a number of issues including: image quality issues with MRI
images coming up unreadable at the PACS, figuring out how to connect their
home-grown EMR to get a worklist going at the modalities, installing a teaching
file solution, and trying to address several other small issues that they were
encountering. In the week prior to that I taught a PACS bootcamp to 13 PACS
administrators in Dar El Salaam, Tanzania, which was very well received. I like
nothing better than the “Aha, is that how it works?” glint in the eyes of these
professionals.
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| Teaching PACS bootcamp in Dar El Salaam |
People sometimes ask me how it is to teach or work with
healthcare professionals in developing countries, and I tell them that it is
not any different than teaching in the US or any other country. There are smart
and eager-to-learn people everywhere. The problem in developing countries is
that there is very poor or no support from the vendors that provide the
equipment as they don’t spend time and effort to create a support structure
with well trained engineers. Therefore, the hospital staff often has to figure
out the issues by themselves, which is why training by organizations such as
RAD-AID and the SIIM Global ambassador program is so important and makes such a
big difference.
I would encourage each and every SIIM member to consider
volunteering. I know it might be somewhat out of your comfort zone, but I can
guarantee you that not only will it make a major difference on the receiving
side, it will be equally rewarding for you as a person as you will grow and
gain new experiences. I myself am definitely hooked and can’t wait for my next
assignment. I’ll do this as long as I am able, and I’m thankful for SIMM to
support such a great cause.
