Are you a qualified doctor?
Could you offer your time and expertise?
What’s in it for me?
- the opportunity to live and work in another culture
- to contribute to the work of the hospital and provide a valuable service to the people of Zambia
- to gain professional experience, acquire new skills and gain confidence
Who do you need?
Doctors are always needed – especially those with some experience in General Practice/Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, General Surgery, Orthopaedics or Obstetrics & Gynaecology. The broader your experience, the better: you will probably find yourself dealing with situations and conditions outside your usual areas of expertise, so a flexible attitude and a cool head are sometimes the most useful professional assets.
When do you want me?
Start planning a trip to SFH well in advance: communication is often slow and patchy, and the “official” paperwork (work permits, professional registration, etc) can take many months.
We would prefer Doctors to come for at least a year, though we may consider those who wish to come for 6 months, as it can take several months to adapt to the different clinical environment and acquire some basic Chinyanja and understand the way hospital works – and only then you can really start to make a difference!
What do I need to do next?
The first step is to send an e-mail to us at volunteer@saintfrancishospital.net to offer your services. Your e-mail will go automatically to the Hospital Clinical Director and the the Volunteer co-ordinators in the U.K. Please send a copy of your CV/Resumé with any application, which must include at least 3 referees and their contact details.
The Hospital will provide furnished accommodation – either a room or house with electricity and running water. Cooking facilities are usually provided (unless your stay is very brief), but kitchen equipment may not be provided. However, most of what you will need can be bought cheaply in Katete Stores (4 kms distant) or in Chipata (86 kms distant). Some volunteers prefer to eat in the staff Mess which serves 3 meals every day. There is a small charge for this, although this may be waived for volunteers.
I need some more information…
See the life and work at SFH page for help in planning your travel and stay at the hospital. It also helps to talk to previous Volunteers: the coordinators will often put you in contact with somebody who has recently finished working at SFH. You can also get a lot of questions answered by joining our Facebook group.