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You may ask! As an ST4 in Geriatric Medicine, this was my second trip, in February 2009, to the jungle in Peru’s Amazon basin.

The first was in June 2007 after hearing about the Amazon Hope Medical Project run by Scottish charity, The Vine Trust. For the last 5 years the charity has been sending one, and occasionally two, medical and dental teams per month down an Amazon tributary to work alongside local medics, nurses and dentists delivering health care to the poorest of river communities in this remote region. Living on one of the Trust’s two ex-Royal Navy boats, in somewhat surprising comfort, provides ample opportunity to enjoy the scenery and jungle environment in this beautiful region, which is untouched and virtually unseen by tourists. The medical and dental teams run clinics for the villagers providing basic, predominantly primary, health care. The villagers, quite literally, hear through jungle drums that the medical boat is in town. There is more than adequate supply of medications, including antibiotics, analgesia, anti-fungals, creams, anti-hypertensives and diabetic medication, which is sourced by the charity from the USA and is provided, together with health care, free of charge to villagers who would not normally benefit from any local health care services. Clinics run for a proportion of the morning and afternoon but leave plenty of time to relax, explore the jungle villages, have a South American style siesta and play football and volleyball against the usually very competitive villagers. On village walks, we were often fortunate enough to be invited into people’s houses which proved to be a fascinating insight to their lifestyle, or to be shown their diverse variety of tropical pets ranging from monkeys and parrots to ocelots.

So, it all sounds great but you still might ask, what’s a geriatrician doing there - especially in this harsh environment where few people survive to their 7th or 8th decade? For me, this particular project has been an excellent opportunity to develop both personally and professionally. It has provided opportunity to develop clinical and diagnostic skills, predominantly on careful history-taking and examination in an environment without the luxury of extensive batteries of investigations as in hospital. Working through an interpreter, an indispensable member of the on-board multi-disciplinary team, also developed skills of focussed history taking and concise explanation. Additionally, knowing that I was the only medic the patient would see for several months facilitated decisive, definitive decision making, skills entirely applicable to my UK training.

Overall, I found the whole experience on each trip to Peru thoroughly enjoyable and extremely valuable. The working environment on board the boat is relaxed, supportive and the Peruvian staff are extremely appreciative of the efforts of UK medics’ visits. There is an atmosphere of mutual learning, culturally as well as professionally. I found myself particularly deficient at salsa dancing much to everyone’s amusement but soon proved myself in an Orcadian strip the willow. So, who can go on the boat to Peru? The answer is anyone with two weeks of annual leave, enthusiasm and general medical skills who wants to contribute to this project and experience the challenges of working in an environment different from that of a UK hospital. Geriatricians are particularly well placed as general physicians with team-working skills, adaptability and excellent clinical diagnostic skills. It’s an unforgettable experience in a beautiful place with an opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of villagers in rural Peruvian communities. For more information visit the Vine Trust website.

Karen Leckie
ST4 Geriatrics
Southern General Hospital, Glasgow

BGS Newsletter, May 2009
Issue 21 ISSN 1748-6343 21