Adventure Alternative

Medical Electives - Kenya & Tanzania

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Medical Elective Placements in Kenya and Tanzania

Please look carefully at the following places and locations mentioned in this pack. It will give you a good idea of the possibilities available to you, we can then discuss your own trip and tailor-make it to suit your skills and ambitions. We will work with you to accommodate your needs as far as possible. The regions where we currently operate are -

• Siaya, Western Kenya
• Nairobi - Kenya  
• Naivasha, Kenya
• Kikuyu, Kenya
• Moshi - Tanzania
• Arusha - Tanzania
  

Siaya, Western Kenya

Siaya is a rural area close to Lake Victoria and the Ugandan border where we have a very sociable Adventure Alternative house that you would share with other medical students as well as teachers on placement at one of the local primary schools.  The house has electricity, solar panels and running water from a catchment tank, with spacious bedrooms, a large living area and kitchen.  The toilet is a long drop and the cold shower is in an outhouse but this is rural Kenya; an elective here will provide a safe and clean back-to-basics experience. You will look after your own shopping, cooking and housekeeping, although we do supply you with a home help. You will be very much a part of the local community and have a genuine insight to the life of the local Luo tribe.

Your local AA contacts here are Charles Otieno and Maurice Odindo. We have worked with them for many years, both through Adventure Alternative and Moving Mountains, and they have been instrumental in the planning and organisation of the nearby Moving Mountains orphanage.

There will be ample opportunity to get involved with the Moving Mountains orphanage, which we are planning to extend to incorporate girls’ and boys’ dormitories, plus a voluntary counselling and testing centre for HIV/Aids, a Community Clinic, Crèche and accommodation for our full time carers.

Siaya District Hospital, Kenya

Siaya District Hospital is a large teaching hospital situated in Siaya Town serving an extremely large population of rural people.  The hospital itself is quite run down and is lacking in government funding, but government funding is on the increase as they have recently opened a medical and nursing school in the area so there are now a lot of Kenyan student doctors and nurses completing their training at the hospital. 
The Superintendent of the hospital, is very keen to accept visiting medical students and is talking of setting them projects to complete during their time in Siaya.  He is also very willing to work alongside the doctors at The Dolphil and Bama clinics, so the students can decide how long they want to spend in each area.

Services provided are -
Outpatient clinics - Casualty deptartment, voluntary counselling and testing centre for HIV/AIDS, anti retroviral therapy clinics, chest clinics (TB, COAD, asthma), mother and child health clinics, antenatal clinics, diabetes clinic, eye unit, dental clinic, ear, nose and throat, immunizations, psychiatric consultations
Inpatient wards - medical, surgical, orthopaedics, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, maternity
Facilities - X-ray, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, laboratory, theatre, pharmacy

Dolphil Nursing and Maternity Home, Siaya, Kenya

Dolphil clinic is approx 15 minutes drive on the road from Wagai towards Luanda.  It is a private clinic that receives financial assistance from a local church, although it is now essentially self reliant except for large expenditures such as new equipment.  It has recently received some money to build a Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre, which will be ready for use by the beginning of October 2005, after it has gained government approval to open.  Many of the staff at the clinic have already received the relevant training in counselling etc to run this new service. 

They will also offer free anti-retroviral drug therapy as they are receiving the drugs free from their sponsors.The clinic is operated by three doctors, one of whom is on site 24 hours a day.  There is also a team of nurses and laboratory technicians who work in shifts. 

Unfortunately apart from very minor procedures, no surgery is carried out at the clinic, but referrals for surgery and for emergency cases are made to the nearby Siaya District Hospital and to Kisumu Hospital. There are opportunities for students to visit Siaya District Hospital under the supervision of the doctors from the clinic, one of whom rotates to work at Siaya District and at the clinic.

The clinic has a male and a female ward, a paediatric ward and a maternity ward with a delivery suite. There is also a laboratory, mortuary and a theatre for minor procedures. 
The clinic also provides chest clinics, mother and child health and family planning clinics, antenatal clinics, diabetes clinics, dental and ear, nose and throat clinics and immunizations

The clinic offers a wide variety of services to a large surrounding population and is run by an administration board committee consisting of doctors, church officials and members of the local community. 

Bama Nursing and Maternity Home, Siaya, Kenya

This is another privately run clinic, very similar to The Dolphil clinic.  It is situated on the outskirts of Siaya and offers much the same services as The Dolphil, the only addition being that they often take care of post-operative surgical patients from Siaya District Hospital as the two facilities are physically very close together. Also, because of this, the doctor in charge of the clinic has very close links with a number of staff at the District Hospital, so would easily be able to arrange supervised visits to the district hospital for the visiting students.

The clinic is operated by two doctors, one of whom provides 24 hour emergency cover, as well as a number of nurses, technicians and counsellors working in shifts. There is a male and female medical ward, a maternity ward with a delivery suite and a paediatric ward.  There is also a laboratory on site.

The clinic is also a voluntary counselling and testing centre for HIV/Aids, has anti retroviral therapy clinics, chest clinics (TB, COAD, asthma), mother and child health clinics, family planning, antenatal clinics, diabetes clinic, dental clinic and deals with ear, nose and throat conditions and immunizations.

Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi, and more specifically Kibera, is the location of another Adventure Alternative house.  Situated on the outskirts of the Kibera slums, this is the biggest slum in sub-Saharan Africa and houses almost one million people. It is the location of the Hollywood film The Constant Gardener and an incredible melting pot of humanity. The house is similar to the one in Siaya in that you will be sharing with both fellow Medical students and teachers, it is very sociable, there is running water, hot showers, flush toilets, a comfortable living area with a TV and shared bedrooms. It is quite safe but obviously you need to follow common sense rules of keeping doors locked, not opening doors to strangers and looking after your belongings.

Eva Muronji and Osman Mohammed are our representatives in Nairobi.  They are both extremely friendly and very approachable and again have both worked for Adventure Alternative for many years.  One of them will escort you daily to the clinic which is also on the outskirts of the slum.  Eva will help to keep the house in order, assist you with shopping in the local markets and teach Kenyan cooking.  Osman is able to take you to visit our charity projects around Nairobi and to meet the many children that are sponsored. 

The house in Nairobi is also where our Company Office in Nairobi is situated so you will also meet all the other staff as they come to work each day.

Ushirika Community Clinic, Kibera, Kenya

Ushirika is a busy Community Clinic on the out-skirts of Kibera, it is about ten minutes bus ride from the AA house.  Our resident Adventure Alternative contacts there are Caroline Ngatha and Ishmael Bosire who work full time at the clinic and will help you with all the details of daily routine. Ishmael speaks excellent English and is very gentle and polite.

Routines include daily diagnosis and treatment, twice weekly pre and post-natal baby clinics, weekly vaccination clinics and ongoing treatment/monitoring of patients with infectious diseases such as TB.  The clinic has a male and female ward and a maternity ward with a delivery suite. 

There are also laboratory facilities, patient counselling, post-treatment care and home visits with health workers four times a week.  The clinic is also a voluntary counselling and testing centre for HIV/Aids, has anti retroviral therapy clinics, chest clinics (TB, COAD, asthma), family planning and antenatal clinics.

St Mary's Mission Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

St. Mary’s is a small hospital which provides predominantly outpatient care for the poorer communities of Nairobi. 

The Superintendent of the hospital has designed a rotation around the main specialities, including medicine, surgery, maternity, paediatrics and a huge range of outpatient’s clinics, which will really enable the student to have an incredibly broad clinical experience. The Hospital is very busy and has 250 beds, with several full time doctors on shift at any time.

Outpatient Clinics Inc:

• Cervical Cancer Screening
• Antenatal
• Gynaecology
• Paediatric
• Surgical
• Medical
• Dental
• Eye

Maternity and Deliveries and Accident and Emergency - 24/7.

Coptic Hospital, Ngong Road, Nairobi, Kenya

This is a reasonably large hospital supported by the Orthodox Church, just a 10 minute walk from our house, again with a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient facilities on offer 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.  The hospital boasts several highly qualified doctors and specialised consultants.

Services offered are:

• A&E 24hrs
• Maternity
• Dental
• Pharmacy 24hrs
• Laboratory
• X-ray
• Ultra Sound
• Endoscopy
• Surgery
• Operating theatre

Kikiuyu Hospital, Nairobi

Kikuyu is a small urban town on the outskirts of Nairobi approximately 45 minutes from the city itself.

You will stay in the Hospital’s own accommodation on site, where you can either take meals in the hospital canteen for minimal prices, or there are facilities for you to cook for yourself.  Our representative in Kikuyu is Ann, a local lady who also works in the Hospital.  She has been involved with Adventure Alternative for several years and will be on hand to assist you throughout your placement.  Ann has a very friendly and extremely bubbly personality and she will ensure that you have an enjoyable time both on placement and whilst you explore everything that Kenya has to offer.

It is very easy for you to travel back into Nairobi itself at the weekends to visit and spend time at our Moving Mountains projects there if you wish, and also to visit some of the tourist attractions that the City has to offer.

The hospital itself is really busy providing health care to a vast population of low income people.  It is run by the PCEA church (Presbyterian Church of East Africa), and offers discounted care to its patients.

The hospital offers the following services

• Out patients
• Maternity
• Casualty
• Maternal and Child health clinic
• Family planning
• VCT, offering of ARV
• HIV/AIDS
• TB Clinic
• X-ray services
• Theatre
• PMTCT
• Mortuary
• Occupational therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Dental services
• Paediatric clinic
• Pharmacy
• Eye clinic

VIPS Health Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Y2K Children Clinic
Adults Clinics & Antenatal Clinics

• Immunizations services
• Laboratory services
• Pharmacy services
• Endoscopy
• Ultrasound
• Minor surgery

VIPs is a Christian based clinic, offering outpatient care to the poorer communities.  Every Wednesday and Saturday there is an outreach programme sent from the clinic, including two doctors, a laboratory Technician, and a pharmacist. The team travels to rural areas to test and treat 250-300 children for malaria, HIV, treat skin conditions and chest infections. Medical students can join these outreach programmes, travelling to more rural areas to experience the differences in clinical problems between urban settings and rural living conditions.

Naivasha, The Great Rift Valley, Kenya

Naivasha is situated in the stunning Great Rift Valley, approximately two hours north of Nairobi.  Some 20 million years ago, the earth's crust weakened and tore itself apart creating a jagged rift, thousands of kilometres long, across the African continent. The land on either side erupted creating great volcanic mountains, while the valley floor gradually sank into a low flat plain.  The valley northwest of Nairobi contains a string of alkaline lakes and boiling springs includes Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Magadi in the south. These lakes are unique because their water is highly concentrated sodium carbonate. Each of the lakes in the Rift Valley string have a slightly different water composition ranging from freshwater to extremely alkaline, highly saline to brackish.  You will of course be able to spend your free time exploring the Rift Valley and other sites of interest in the area. 

Your accommodation in Naivasha will be in a local hotel just a short walk from the hospital and clinic where you will be placed.  Breakfast and Dinner can be taken at the hotel, and lunch will be taken either at the hospital or in town.  One of the Adventure Alternative staff, Caroline Ngatha will accompany you to Naivasha and remain with you for the duration your placement.  She will make all the arrangements with the hospital and clinic prior to your arrival, and will introduce you to the staff when you arrive and generally ensure that you have a successful placement. 

Naivasha District Hospital

This is a government run District Hospital offering the following services.

• Out patients
• Maternity
• Casualty
• Maternal and Child health clinic
• Family planning
• VCT, offering ARV’s
• HIV/AIDS
• TB Clinic
• X-ray services
• Theatre
• PMTCT
• Mortuary
• Occupational therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Dental services
• Paediatric clinic
• Pharmacy

Poly Clinic, Nursing Home, Naivasha, Kenya

The Poly Clinic is a nursing home just 500meters from Naivasha District Hospital.  The following services are offered.

• Out patients
• In patients
• Maternity
• MCHC
• Theatre
• VCT
• PMTCT
• Pharmacy

Tanzanian Medical Electives

Moshi Town, Tanzania

In Tanzania we have full time staff in the town of Moshi, which is at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro. Moshi is a lovely quiet town with all the facilities you might need, thanks to the tourists coming to the mountain. Castro Kapela is our representative and he also runs our safaris and climbs on Kili so he can easily help you should you wish to organise a trip yourself.

Moshi is easy to reach, you can fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will be met or you can take a daily coach from Nairobi. Accommodation will be in comfortable safe town hotels within walking distance of the hospital, and Castro will be on hand all the time to look after you. English is spoken widely and Moshi itself has a good nightlife and is regarded as a safe town to be in.

Siima Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania

This is a small Hospital offering a wide variety of outpatient clinics, and limited inpatient care. 

The supervising doctor will ensure that you are fully involved in all the outpatient clinics that take place, including Mother and Child Health, Dental, Asthma, TB, HIV/AIDS, Family Planning, Antenatal, Diabetes and immunizations. The hospital also has a small casualty department which deals with any emergency situations, including injuries and any unexpected illnesses.

Kibosho Missionary Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania

Kibosho Missionary Hospital in Kilimanjaro region is a general hospital which serves several districts ("counties") with a population of about 1.3 million people, providing for both in-patients and out-patients.

This hospital has a number of departments, theatre, surgical, paediatrics, surgery, reproductive and child health, x-ray, public health, pharmacy, a dental clinic. Others are Immunization programmes, T.B and leprosy programme, psychiatry and physiotherapy.

There is a daily in flow of patients ranging from 100 to 150. The Hospital has just established a Community support system that aims at providing support to various communities in the region though community-based Organizations (CBOS) and NGO’S in the provision of home based care as part of a programme to support the HIV/Aids control and prevention activities.

Arusha, Tanzania

Arusha is approximately 85kms from Moshi, and although we don’t have any full time staff living in Arusha, our staff from Moshi would accompany you there and remain with you for the duration of your placement in Arusha.  Many of our students actually elect to complete a placement which combines time spent in the Hospital in Arusha with the hospitals in Moshi, as this gives a really good insight into the differences in the healthcare offered throughout the country, and also the differences in presenting complaints from different locations and living conditions.

Arusha is the safari capital of Northern Tanzania. It is an unremarkable town in itself, but if you want to combine your time on placement with weekend visits into some of the major safari parks in Northern Tanzania, then Arusha is the perfect position for accessing all of them. It sits underneath the 15,000 ft extinct volcano Mt Meru and the views of this on clear days are really impressive.

St. Thomas' Hospital, Tanzania

The supervising doctor at St. Thomas’, through the supervisor at Siima Hospital in Moshi is also a Director at this hospital, so a combined placement can be organised very easily.

The hospital is large, offering inpatient and outpatient care to a very large and widespread community of urban living Tanzanians.  The hospital has Inpatient wards for Surgical, Medical, Paediatric, Orthopaedic, O & G, and Maternity patients.

In addition the hospital also offers a wide variety of outpatient clinics, from Mother and Child Health through to Dental services.