Self–Directed Research Project (Gambia)

At the beginning of our third years, all students are required to participate in the second Student-Selected Component of our curriculum (with the first being in the winter and spring of our first year). SSC2, as this one is known, is a self-directed research project that we are expected to undertake and conduct on our own, under the guidance of at least one supervisor whose profession and speciality depend on the nature of the project. For my project, I am conducting an audit to investigate the requests for tuberculosis diagnostic tests at a large, charity-run hospital in The Gambia and compare what actually happens in clinical practice to the country’s recognised standard. I will be here for the month of October.

Last week was, needless to say, a bit of a blur! We got our exam results on Monday, started with our SSC2 seminars on Tuesday, carried on throughout the week, and then on Saturday I woke up at an inhuman hour and flew from Birmingham to Banjul. I still couldn’t quite believe it, even when the plane took off. My first impression: it is hot! It was 8 degrees out when I left Coventry last Saturday and it was 31 when we landed in The Gambia. I know we’re in the tropics, but I was not expecting this. Mind you, I’m not complaining. My other impressions: it is really lush and green, and the people are all so friendly with such a vibrant look. So many people have such decorative and colourful clothing and are really striking – it’s a welcome change from what can often be monotonous dark and grey so commonplace in England this time of year (or any time of year, let’s face it).

Although my project involves inspecting patient notes and monitoring requests for laboratory tests, I have had the opportunity to observe some clinical activities as well. I have sat in with several one-on-one, doctor-run clinics (similar to GP consultations in the UK in structure and function) and have also watched a few ward rounds. But I think that this is where the similarity ends. Since primary care doesn’t really exist for most people here, many of the patients present with advanced stages of diseases that aren’t normally seen in the UK – at least I’ve certainly never seen them. For instance, conditions such as extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and Tetralogy of Fallot are common enough that I’ve seen a few of each in the week that I’ve been here. You certainly don’t see many of those in Warwickshire!

I know that I keep coming back to the same point, but seeing healthcare outside of England always makes me that much more appreciative of the NHS, and that we are lucky enough to live in a rich and developed country. I could not imagine having to make a life-or-death decision based on how much money my family has or how easy it is to go to a city several hours away in a neighbouring country for treatment on an ongoing basis. These are decisions that people here are confronted with quite frequently, and it breaks my heart to see this happen even once. Confronting such dilemmas must be such a difficult thing to do, and spending this time at the coal face has impressed on me even more the importance of a strong and dedicated health service.

John

Luke Pemberton : 18 Oct 2016 10:33 |  Tags: John Student Warwick |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem