. These volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of experience. They include surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses and medical students. They arrive with the ambition to improve health outcomes in Africa and learn about"global health".
At the hospital where I conducted my research, patients were often enthusiastic about their presence while many Zambian health professionals were critical. But this was, in part, due to differences in wealth, status and privilege between American volunteers and Zambian health workers. These international {volunteers} ... they really look like they are better and even patients start to see a big gap. But it is not that Zambians are worse.
When patients expressed a preference for white volunteers - particularly those with less expertise - it often negatively affected Zambian health workers. As an experienced Zambian health professional told me: Staff members and patients were concerned that these tensions would continue to affect their relationships in the future - even in the absence of volunteers.There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.