Impacting Communities: Healthcare Training in Malawi
Date: October 5, 2020
For three weeks, Stephanie Jackson had the opportunity to visit Malawi, Africa, with RAD-Aid International. Ms. Jackson has always held an innate drive to help others and a love for travel. Through RAD-AID International, she was able to combine both passions and use her radiology skills to help improve healthcare conditions in Malawi.
What is RAD-AID International?
RAD-AID International is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and expanding radiology services in impoverished regions of the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the world’s population has no medical imaging (radiology), such as X-ray, ultrasound, and mammography access.
There is insufficient healthcare for many poor communities, including women’s healthcare, HIV-related disease, tuberculosis, cancer, heart disease, and various traumas. RAD-AID International seeks to provide relief and radiology services to properly detect, diagnose, and care for these communities. Using a multi-disciplinary approach involving economic development, evaluation, education, and training, RAD-AID International strives to make radiology services accessible worldwide.
Jackson recommends volunteering with RAD-AID International because, “From start to finish, [I] felt very taken care of,” she says. “I was also provided with plenty of information regarding hospitals, where to stay, and continual communication—I felt consistently checked in on and supported,” she says.
How Time Was Spent
Jackson reports workers were able to make “huge impacts.” Throughout the tour, she and her team trained local physicians and other medical staff persons in how to properly conduct ultrasounds. Sadly, she says some patients travel for days to receive the procedures, so it is crucial to properly diagnose their conditions, especially serious ones such as cancer or blood clots. Jackson says, “Many don’t have access to didactic information and aren’t familiar with the proper cleaning techniques to avoid infections.”
When asked the highlight of her experience, Jackson says, “[You] have to let go of expectations and experiences of your normal life and focus on the people you are helping. You jump in.”
Why Is Radiology Important in Today’s Healthcare?
“Ultrasound technology is such an amazing modality to bring to these countries because it’s less expensive and portable. It is encouraging to be able to identify these life-threatening diseases so that patients can receive treatment. The work is truly life-saving.”
Radiology is used to diagnose advanced cancer, provide abdominal ultrasounds, view pleural effusions of the lungs, and ascites of the abdomen from TB, etc. It is also used to diagnose masses, lower extremities- blood clots, and hydrocephalus (malaria pregnant), cardiac areas (echo), and heart problems.
In Malawi specifically, Jackson says those they served greatly benefited from the Mind Ray ultrasound, a smaller piece of equipment donated with tablets and laptops. With so many advances in medical technology, she says radiology is now easier than it was ten years ago, “[You] can do an ultrasound with a tablet or laptop—all portable equipment, so it’s easier to bring work to people who need it.”
Experiences Can Benefit One’s Career
Jackson stresses how important it is to travel and learn from others. According to her, one needs to respect cultural differences, learn to work with different personalities, be open-minded and humble, and be willing to learn and teach.
“One person I worked with was eager to learn, making it easy to share knowledge, while another was hesitant, due to our cultural differences. So I had to use different approaches. Learning to be patient and respectful of different learning styles, made me a better clinical coordinator. I’m better able to understand cultures, generations, and backgrounds.”
You Can Make a Difference
Since Jackson’s trip, Malawi has suffered a high volume of COVID-19 cases. This is tragic for a country with little healthcare resources. Most patients are in vulnerable populations which are immunocompromised, TB positive, have Malaria, and other severe illnesses.
Further, many do not have proper PPE, infection control, or cleaning supplies. It is also believed case counts are underreported, due to the shortage of testing kits. Malawi, as a country, really has no way of social distancing. RAD-AID International recently sent money for mask construction and infection control supplies. However, these are expected to run out quickly.
Consider donating to RAD-AID International. Any amount is appreciated and will go directly to the Kamuzu Central Hospital Radiology Department to provide PPE and infection control supplies. Jackson is in weekly contact with the Ultrasound/Radiology Department. Contact us to learn more.