Project Amazonas

Medical Trips

Medical and dental volunteers can make important contributions to the health and welfare of the people of the Amazon and are welcomed by Project Amazonas. Please contact us well ahead of the start of volunteer activities as coordination with, and the authorization of Peruvian health authorities is generally required. If you would like an idea of what our medical and dental clinic work is like, you can view a short documentary here.

Requirements

Medical and dental volunteers over the age of 18 years should send a current Curriculum Vitae (CV or resume), and also two references with email contact information. For students, senior medical/dental students will be given preference over students with lesser qualifications. Medical and dental volunteers require approval from the Peruvian Ministry of Health prior to the initiation of volunteer work. Intermediate (i.e., conversational) Spanish skills are essential for volunteers who wish to interact directly with patients. There are no restrictions on nationality except for those which may be imposed by Peruvian immigration authorities. Medical expedition dates are subject to verification and approval by the Peruvian Ministry of Health, so volunteers interested in participating should have a relatively flexible schedule and plan to be in Peru for a few days on either end of a given trip. Dates may change on short notice - please keep in contact with us for any scheduling changes. Additional dates may be added as funding permits.

We do not run independent medical programs, but work with the Ministry of Health in Peru and with the established system of hospitals, clinics and health outposts in the Peruvian Amazon. With the authorization of the Ministry of Health, we operate medical service trips to remote areas several times annually. The greatest need for volunteer assistance is in the more remote clinics and health posts, which are often understaffed and always underfunded. Longer-term volunteers can make the greatest contributions serving in these clinics/posts, but there can be opportunities for short-term volunteers to do the same. For senior medical/dental students, it may be possible to arrange rotations in larger hospitals in Iquitos given sufficient advance notice, although it should be noted that the host institution (i.e., the hospital) may assess a fee for rotations, and there may be additional administrative costs.

All participants should be up to date on the following vaccinations: Hepatitus, Tetanus, Yellow Fever, and also take malaria prophylaxis (malarone or doxycycline).

Scheduled Trips (2010)

Additional trips may be added as funding permits - the current schedule for 2010 trips is:

• 14-27 Feb: Apayacu, Orosa, Matahuayo rivers and adjacent areas. Core medical team: University of Mississippi School of Medicine (Teaching Expedition). Costs: $1650 (includes hotel/meals in Iquitos at beginning and end of the 2-week expedition). [This expedition is currently full and closed to additional participants].
• 4-10 Apr: Tigre & Nahuapa rivers and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.
• 16-22 May: Nanay & Pintoyacu rivers and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.
• 20-26 Jun: Maniti river and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.
• 19-25 Sep: Lower Napo river and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.
• 26 Sep-2 Oct: Lower Napo river and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.
• 7-13 Nov: Mazan river and adjacent areas. Core medical team: Peru Ministry of Health. Costs: $350 for currently enrolled medical/dental students (documentation required), $750 for other participants.

Activities of Medical and Dental Volunteers

On service trips, volunteers assist with collecting patient histories and data, collecting community-level health information, photographic documentation, dispensing of prescribed medicines, and instructing patients on the proper use of medicines and preventative health care techniques. Qualified volunteers also directly attend, or assist with attending patients. Volunteers interested in dental, pediatric, internal and general medicine will have ample opportunities to interact with patients and medical personnel in those fields. Opportunities for more specialized fields (surgery, neurobiology, etc.) will be restricted largely to the Iquitos area. In most remote clinics and health posts, the full range of patients and medical conditions are seen, but some patients will be sent to larger centers (i.e. Iquitos) for diagnosis or treatment due to the local lack of specialized equipment and lab facilities. Most rural clinics have power only a few hours daily (if at all), and facilities and equipment are limited. Such clinics are the only medical facilities available for the populations of most riverine communities.

There is a high demand for dental attention in all riverine communities, and dental caries/cavities and poor dental care are chronic issues. In most cases, dental attention means extraction of teeth. Except in Iquitos and a few other larger centers, there is no capacity for restorative work and during expeditions it is often impossible to attend to all of those who request extractions. A critical role for dental and other volunteers is education on oral hygiene in the communities visited. 

Funding and Costs of Medical Service Trips

Expeditions are funded by private donations and participant contributions. Teaching/service expeditions are organized by specific medical schools who send their staff and students. These trips accept volunteers on a space available basis, but volunteers need to contribute at the same rate as other participants - such trips range from $1500-$1800/participant for a two week expedition (which includes accommodations and meals in Iquitos at the start and end of the trip). For "regular" medical service trips staffed mainly by Peruvian medical/dental personnel, volunteer costs are reduced (see Scheduled Trips for costs*). Volunteer contributions allow us to cover the participation of Peruvian medical personnel and students, as well as to purchase medicines for use during the clinics. Donations for support of medical service trips are tax-deductible (for US residents), and most participant contributions may also be tax-deductible.

Except unless noted otherwise, participant costs do not include:

• Transportation to/from Iquitos, Peru (this will be by air for most volunteers)
• Lodging for one or more nights in Iquitos (a wide range of places are available for all budgets)
• Food and other expenses in Iquitos

*Volunteers who commit to entering and editing patient data (during or post trip), or to preparing a bilingual English/Spanish report following the trip are eligible for reduced participation costs. Please note that these are tedious through critical tasks which may require many hours of work. Volunteers who wish to be considered for these tasks should be prepared to demonstrate that they have the dedication and perseverance to follow through.

Inquiries

To apply or request further information, contact Devon Graham, Scientific Director of Project Amazonas.