Global Health and Volunteering: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals is designed to educate
volunteers to be effective partners in delivering medical services locally and globally.
Healthcare professionals are increasingly interested in global health and volunteering in areas
of acute need. The biggest challenge to health in many locales is the inability to access the
health care system. When people do connect with medical services medications and surgical
opportunities for chronic disease (i.e. glaucoma diabetes or hypertension) are often not
affordable or cannot be sustained for a long period of time. The contributions in this book
focus on a respectful dialog with local people and a willingness to learn from new experiences
on the part of the volunteer. Skills transfer from visiting personnel to local providers is
featured as a means to enhance healthcare sustainability. An appreciation of differing cultures
an understanding of the local economic conditions and challenges and strategies for
collaborating with the existing medical establishment are foundations of successful volunteer
experiences as highlighted in this book. Dimensions of global health such as professionalism
religious beliefs ethical dilemmas traditional medicine and alternative strategies for
service are addressed by experts. Written and edited by leaders in the field many of whom have
more than two decades of experience volunteering abroad Global Health and Volunteering: A
Guide for Healthcare Professionals imparts lessons learned to help the reader avoid initial
mistakes while making the global health commitment stronger.
