Report: Volunteering in Cusco, Peru, Summer 2022

Thanks to the generosity of the Gerry Grimstone travel award, undergraduate student Mariana Gee Olmedilla was able to visit Cusco, Peru, for three weeks during the summer vacation of her second year studying medicine to undertake a healthcare volunteering programme with Volunteering Solutions.

During the weekdays, I volunteered at the Centro de Salud Siete Cuartones, a small clinic which provides healthcare to people residing in underprivileged areas of the city of Cusco. This was an invaluable opportunity to get an insight into a different healthcare system in a developing country and gain clinical experience by observing and assisting medical professionals in a range of departments.

With very limited space and resources, the clinic housed a surprising number of different specialities, including general medicine, nursing and child health, obstetrics and family planning, psychology, dentistry, a lab and a pharmacy. It was immediately obvious that all staff were drowning in paperwork and wishing for a digitalised future, and I was happy to be able to lend them a helping hand. Other activities encompassed taking weight, height, and blood pressure measurements for patient admissions, asking questions relating to their medical history, carrying out basic physical examinations, and calming screaming children who came for their regular check-ups, many of whom were anaemic due to inadequate nutrition. Being fluent in Spanish, I was able to effectively communicate with both healthcare staff and patients, except the few elderly women who only spoke Quechua, and appreciate the different doctor-patient relationships.

My volunteering was not restricted to the clinic, as nurses frequently set out to undertake vaccination and testing campaigns elsewhere. Gloved, masked, and dressed in bright blue scrubs, we took to the squares of Cusco in order to persuade young men to have their finger pricked and be tested for sexually transmitted illnesses including syphilis and HIV. I was told the incidence of these was on the rise locally, but luckily everyone tested negative that day. COVID vaccines proved to be much more popular, given the state’s mandatory three doses, with many citizens seeking their fourth while those receiving their long overdue first doses were harshly reprimanded.

Staying with a host family allowed me to immerse myself in the culture and enjoy the delicious Peruvian cuisine. During the weekends, I explored Cusco’s surroundings including the Sacred Valley, Vinicunca Mountain, and Lake Humantay, and I even took the challenge of trekking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, all while learning about the wonders of the Inca civilisation.

Having cheated with prophylactic medication (acetazolamide, or Diamox for the mountaineers) and accepted every offer of coca tea, I was fortunate enough to avoid acute mountain sickness. Nevertheless, even after acclimatisation to Cusco’s 3,399m above sea level, the high-altitude locations of many of my trips were an opportunity to apply my knowledge of high-altitude physiology, as my hyperventilation and exercise intolerance certainly did not go unnoticed!

Overall, this was an unforgettable experience that I will always be grateful for, and I hope to undertake more medical volunteering abroad as my clinical skills grow in the coming years.