Africa Cries Out Report 2023015 I joined medical teams in Senegal

Author Cathrine Do

My name is Catherine Do and I am a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine with an interest in cardiology. This past March I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with Africa Cries Out in helping provide medical and dental services to the underserved in Senegal, Africa. As an aspiring physician, I have served at several local health fairs and volunteered on medical mission trips to Southeast Asia. I am grateful for the opportunity to have joined Dr. Jun Xu and his team of healthcare workers in the mission Africa Cries Out 2023.

Upon arrival at base camp, I had my first interactions with the local community. Assisting the physicians, I learned about the most common medical conditions and the most optimal treatment given the materials that were donated to our organization. As for the newly created dental clinic, I had initially expected a similar experience to those from my past mission trips. However, I witnessed and assisted my parents—Dr. Loc Do and Dr. Tiana Dinh—in performing a handful of extractions with solely their hands due to the limited supply of dental equipment. Through these clinical cases, I had only begun digging at the surface of learning and understanding Africa’s healthcare system and needs.

A few days in, I was honored to be invited to join the surgical team. Scrubbing in on a few gynecology surgeries, my interest in surgery awakened and my eyes were open to so many new insights. The dynamic of the surgical team was incredibly crucial to the surgery’s success. I was in complete admiration of the way Dr. Xuezhi Jiang, Dr. Rebecca Wu, Dr. Ring Zhao, and Dr. Cong He harmoniously communicated and supported each other during surgery. Working alongside the local surgeons and healthcare workers was also very meaningful. We learned from them as much as they were learning from us—from the way we apply tourniquets to suture internal organs to give post-operative care. It is truly incredible how resourceful the local healthcare workers were without the equipment available in the United States. And because there was not an additional one to ours, I hope to help fundraise for an ultrasound machine so that the local hospital can further serve the medical needs of its community.

By the conclusion of the mission, I had not only started to immerse myself in Africa’s healthcare system but also met and had the honor of working alongside so many passionate individuals from different backgrounds. This experience has been truly memorable and I hope to return to Africa soon in the nearby future to help provide further service.

The second from the right is Catherine