EMMS ALUMNI
NEWSLETTER
E M M S I N T E R N A T I O N A L // I S S U E 1 // 2019
Word of welcome
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EMMS alumni update
Dear alumni... Alison Steele, Development Officer ...welcome to the first ever edition of our annual alumni newsletter! This is written especially for those of you who have won a bursary from EMMS International in the past. We are celebrating how EMMS International has supported hundreds of students of healthcare professions over the last 178 years, sharing updates from bursary winner alumni, and keeping you in the loop with how our healthcare work is progressing. Did you know that this bursary scheme is our longest-running programme? From mid-1800 until 1930, we trained and provided grants to 440 medical graduates to serve at mission hospitals all over the world. More recently, we partnered with the Order of St Lazarus and with their backing, roughly 20 students a year are supported with bursaries of £500 and £1,000. We hope you enjoy this first edition. Please share any feedback you have with me at alison.steele@emms.org and get in touch if you would like to be featured next year.
Contents
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Page 3
Alumni spotlight
Sam Imarhiagbe shares his experience of serving at Nkhoma Mission Hospital Page 5
From the archives Uncover the inspiration behind Sherlock Holmes Page 7
What's your top 3? Esther Park and Andrew Duncan reminisce about their top 3 elective moments
Also in this issue... More than a grant-maker Page 9 Save the date! Page 11 Thank you Page 12
Alumni spotlight
EMMS alumni update
Serving at Nkhoma Mission Hospital, Malawi Sam Imarhiagbe recently returned from his elective at one of our partner hospitals. He told us how formative his time was: I feel very privileged to have completed my medical student elective at Nkhoma Mission Hospital in Malawi in April this year. Most of my time was spent on the adult medical wards, as they were so busy. I also worked in the paediatric ward and joined the outreach team, where I gave vaccinations, and helped write notes and prescriptions. I learnt to only request investigations that were clinically necessary to save patients money. There was a lot of responsibility, but I was glad to serve patients and the team. It was amazing to meet the different members of staff at the hospital. I was struck by their dedication to the patients. Many worked more than five days a week to cover for colleagues and keep the wards running. Morale was high, and I really appreciated their positive attitudes.
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They were pleased to share their culture with me and made me feel welcome.
Alumni spotlight
All staff could speak English, but most patients spoke the local language, Chichewa. Sometimes staff could translate for me, which made communication with patients easier. However, when my colleagues were unavailable, I had to try my best to speak Chichewa. The language barrier was a real challenge – thankfully, there were some other foreign medical students, so we could struggle together. The experience taught me a lot of humility and patience!
The language barrier was a real challenge thankfully there were other foreign students, so we struggled together! An interesting side to this issue is that I am black, so many patients saw me and assumed I was Malawian. Malawians are very friendly, and several times a day, strangers would start speaking to me in Chichewa. I would reply with a greeting, but then awkwardly say, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Chichewa.” I felt the other foreign medical students didn’t have this expectation from patients and the public. I was so glad to take part in worship at Nkhoma, with chapel on Wednesdays and an English language service on Sundays.
It was encouraging to meet other Christians in a context far from home. There is a prominent singing culture in Nkhoma, with talented church and college choirs. I also noticed a common theme in the hospital chaplains’ messages, saying that our work in the hospital is a practical way of showing the love of Jesus to patients. In my free time, I climbed Nkhoma Mountain with local children, visited Lilongwe, the bustling capital, and watched a football match at the Bingu National Stadium with a clinical officer and other medical students. I also went to Nkhoma Football Club matches nearby, where the quality of football was surprisingly much better. It felt like the whole of Nkhoma was there to cheer the team on! This was an unforgettable experience that has shaped me as a person and as a medical professional. I know that my efforts and skills brought benefit to the patients and staff – that has been my greatest desire from the beginning. Many thanks to EMMS International and Swaythling Baptist Church for supporting this elective, and Mr Sam Kabota at Nkhoma Mission Hospital for his help in arranging it.
This has shaped me as a person and as a medical professional
From the archives
EMMS alumni update
Inspiration behind Sherlock Holmes Introducing Dr Joseph Bell
Dr Joseph Bell
As a bursary recipient, someone who has put your then-burgeoning healthcare knowledge and skill to use in a mission hospital, you are standing on the shoulders of greats. Yes, really! Did you know that the inspiration behind the iconic Sherlock Holmes was a member of Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote these words to his teacher, mentor, and friend, Dr Joseph Bell: “It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes, and though I have the advantage of being able to place him in all sorts of dramatic positions, I do not think that his analytical work is an exaggeration of some effects which I have seen you produce in the outpatient ward.” Dr Bell was an Edinburgh man through and through. Born in the city in 1837, educated first at Edinburgh Academy and then Edinburgh University, he: served as personal surgeon to Queen Victoria when she visited Scotland was a Fellow and then President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh
From the archives
Dr Bell “often learned more of the patient by a few quick glances” than Conan Doyle did, as his assistant, by his questions. Instead, Dr Bell observed the way a person moved and looked at the hands of his patients to determine their occupation, and he Dr Bell was a huge listened to the way they spoke to supporter of mission pinpoint where they were from. No work whether it was prizes, then, for guessing why carried out at Sherlock Homes was imbued with a home or abroad similar skill for deduction! We are sure that Dr Bell would be As Director of EMMS, Dr Bell was a very proud to know that, 108 years huge supporter of mission work after his death, EMMS continues to whether it was carried out at home or support young people in their desire abroad; he and his father regularly to go overseas and experience what volunteered at Cowgate Dispensary. delivering healthcare in a mission This was a free clinic and medicine dispensary in the Cowgate, which was a hospital setting is like. poor, overcrowded slum area in 1800s He would be proud Edinburgh. The Dispensary helped to that EMMS continues prepare the city’s medical students for its support of young missionary work overseas. people learning about The character of Sherlock Holmes, a overseas healthcare detective "who solved cases on his own merits and not through the folly of the criminal", was based on this gifted doctor and teacher. Conan Doyle described Dr Bell as “a very remarkable man in body and mind. He was thin, wiry, dark, with... penetrating grey eyes, angular shoulders, and a jerky way of walking. He was a very skilful surgeon, but his strong point was diagnosis, not only of disease, but of occupation and character.” taught at Edinburgh University led the precursor to EMMS International, the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society from 1864 until his death in 1911.
What's your top 3? Esther Park and Andrew Duncan share three of their favourite memories
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Dr Esther Park
Women's Christian Hospital, Pakistan, early 2017
1 Village wedding
We went to the wedding of our Urdu language teacher's sister. The ceremony lasted from morning to evening, laden with traditions and food. Being escorted by four armed policemen added to the excitement!
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Praying with patients Before every C-section and often during deliveries, we prayed with mothers in the name of Isa (Jesus), the prophet of healing as He is known in Islam. It was exciting to mention His name in the heart of the Muslim country, in moments of fear and pain.
3 Easter dance
The midwifery students kindly invited me to their weddings and festivals. I remember dancing to the pulsating beats of Punjabi pop on Easter evening to the instruction of the students, who were evidently entertained by my two left feet.
When you think back to your elective, what comes to mind first?Â
Dr Andrew Duncan Nkhoma Mission Hospital, Malawi, early 2017
1 The medicine
I remember the manner in which one of the experienced doctors approached difficult cases, pulling together all the information we had (often limited by lack of scans and tests) to come up with the diagnosis.
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The people
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The place
In and out of the hospital, all the people I met were extremely friendly and welcoming. On the minibus, I will never forget laughing with the local next to me as he popped his live chicken in the glove compartment.
Being at Nkhoma exposed me to a way of life so unlike home. Although barely scratching the surface, it was great to see what normal life can be like in a different part of the world. The surrounding countryside was also fantastic to explore. Climbing Nkhoma Mountain and going for runs in the evenings provided some amazing views.
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More than a grant-maker
EMMS alumni update
What we do We do far more than just award bursaries to students of healthcare professions - we work in partnership with hospitals in Malawi, Nepal, India, and now Zambia too. As you have seen for yourselves. there are people all over the world who are denied access to quality healthcare, denied the opportunity of good health and a brighter future. EMMS International works with mission hospitals in rural, remote areas to strengthen national healthcare systems and get vital care and compassion to those who need it most.
Malawi In Malawi, we partner with hospitals, such as Nkhoma Mission Hospital, to improve the provision of primary care to people living in communities in the northern, central, and southern regions of the country. From HIV to malaria prevention to childhood immunisation, we're helping people take control of their own health. Since 2012, we have also been implementing palliative care services across Malawi, making basic pain relief and home visits a reality for thousands of people. We have also twice won the backing of the UK government to expand our reach.
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More than a grant-maker
Zambia In Zambia, we wish to replicate the success we have had with establishing palliative care services across Malawi. Despite increasing levels of illness and disease, the state of Zambia’s palliative care has regressed in recent years, as hospices have closed. We're working with the Cancer Diseases Hospital, where we have supported the Head of their palliative care department, Patience Mbozi, in her studies for an MSc in palliative care. Thanks to her dedication, she has become the second person in Zambia with an MSc in palliative care, and, perhaps even more importantly, she is the first woman in the country with a Masters degree in the subject.
Nepal In Nepal, we're training the country's first palliative care nurse specialist: Nurse Manju. We're also building a flagship palliative care unit at Green Pastures Hospital on the outskirts of Pokhara, which will provide quality care and rehabilitation for years to come.
India In India, we are partnered with the Duncan Hospital. We work together on providing care when there is not a cure. We are also supporting the hospital's community outreach, where they are working closely with young people, teaching and encouraging them to advocate for better healthcare for women and girls in particular.
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Dates for your diary
EMMS alumni update
Save the dates We hold many events throughout the year, and you may be particularly interested in these symposia:
Elective Spring Symposia
6th Feb, Aberdeen and 27th March, Edinburgh EMMS has always been committed to training healthcare professionals, equipping them to work in mission hospitals around the world. To celebrate the vital role that electives in low-resource settings play, we are holding two Student Elective Symposia this Spring. Our theme will be global citizenship, and how our bursary scheme helps broaden health workers' perspective and their outlook. Our Aberdeen Symposium is in partnership with the University's CMF society. Surgeon Mr Keith Buchan will talk about the impact his elective, 30 years ago, has had on his career and he will be joined by bursary alumnus Dr Jamie Smyth. In Edinburgh, we are partnering with the Global Health Academy and the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET). Prof Sir Eldryd Parry will share his take on the value of volunteering in lowresource regions. We would be delighted to see you there.
Thank you Thank you for the enthusiasm you have shown for healthcare in a low-resource setting
When you come together... Let all things be done for building up 1 Corinthians 14v26
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Judith Clarke, Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital, India, 2017
Power of your gift Healthcare professionals like you continue to achieve amazing things in very challenging parts of the world. Please consider supporting your counterparts at our partner hospitals.
Alumni Mark McBrien was in Nepal for his elective, and saw our partner Green Pastures Hospital Since finishing his degree and starting his career, Mark regularly donates to our work. He says, "I was fortunate to speak to staff there as they develop palliative and rehabilitation services. This gave me a desire to support and contribute to the work that is going on."
Home visits are a lifeline to people in rural Malawi Without them, pain relief and comfort would not reach those in need. From basic paracetamol to morphine, for £32 you can help people stay comfortable during their illness.
£32
Give health professionals the equipment they need to save lives Just £8 purchases a stethoscope, an everyday piece of equipment to help doctors and nurses care for babies, children, and adults alike.
£8
Help to lift a girl for only £8 a month
£8
In Bihar, India, we provide lifetransforming training to girls in particular. It costs £8 a month to fund tailoring and computer courses for young women. Each girl we help contributes to lifting the status of all girls and women in this region of the country.
Please visit our homepage to make a one-off or regular donation: www.emms.org To donate via country, please navigate to: www.emms.org/vital-work/the-places
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