From
November 19, 2018 through December 14, 2018, Umaru Barrie - at the time, a 4th
year medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, did a
rotation at the Kabala Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. Mr. Barrie is the
recipient of an International Health Studies Grant from the Foundation. Below
is a summary of his project goals and his assessment of those goals. Click
here to view a
presentation he made to the MMS Committee on Global Health on March 27, 2019.
Project Goals:
- Gain a better understanding of surgical care in a resource poor setting
- Begin to plan a career that incorporates Global Surgery
- Gain the trust and develop strong relationship with local health care providers to learn about their goal for health care improvements and collaborate on future Global Surgery projects
Assessment of Project Goals:
This trip provided me the opportunity to observe the delivery of care in a resource poor setting. While it is very challenging to provide surgical care in resource poor areas, this trip proved to me that it can be done in a safe and efficient manner. I also had a better appreciation of the great need for surgical care
and combined with my interest in global surgery, I intend to help in fulfilling this need as a global surgeon in the future. I was also able to develop strong relationships with local healthcare providers and we are currently collaborating on a project that looks at the trauma trends at Kabala Government
Hospital, and ideas for improving. Motorcycles are the most common form of transportation in Kabala and accidents are quite common.
