James Matheson, the student representative of the Catastrophes and Conflict Forum at the The Royal Society of Medicine gives his take on last Friday’s Medicine Overseas event-RhonaPhoto from MSF
On 25 April, the Royal Society of Medicine in London hosted, ‘Medicine Overseas’, a one day event aimed at those with an interest in working in humanitarian medicine abroad. Speakers from international and non-governmental organisations were joined by educators and training organisations in order to introduce delegates to those people who could provide them with the necessary knowledge, skills and opportunities for work in the field.

The day, organised by the RSM’s Catastrophes and Conflict Forum highlighted some of the conflicts inherent in the way the humanitarian world does business and in the process of getting involved. Whilst all the speakers would have recommended getting involved in this challenging, rewarding and genuinely useful area of medicine, they also demonstrated it wasn’t easy.

The Gold Guide to the new UK training process under Modernising Medical Careers gives several options for taking time out of programme for work abroad but, as Professor Dame Lesley Southgate explained, if you want to do it you need to prove a benefit both to your training and to the NHS on return, as well as to the patients you’ll be helping once away.

As a consultant, it’s not always easier. Steve Mannion, outgoing President of the Forum related his experience of job-sharing in the NHS. Job-share allows the trauma and orthopaedic surgeon to combine two weeks each month in the NHS with 2 weeks in parts of the world desperately short of such surgical skills. Recently he has operated in Malawi, Laos and Papua New Guinea but at the sacrifice of half his salary and half his NHS pension.

Conflicts within the system became apparent throughout the day, although all speakers and delegates remained entirely amicable. Aditi Das has already commented on organisations’ different stances on bearing witness to the events around them but when Rachel Lavy explained the UN’s ‘Cluster’ method of coordination, two out of three speakers on the panel were from organisations that declined to be involved. Coordination and cooperation are contentious areas in the humanitarian response for many reasons but it was clear that each organisation was dedicated in its own way to confronting the human consequences of the world’s greater ongoing conflicts. Several speakers alluded to the dangers involved in doing so.

All that said, the main message of the day - that it’s worth getting involved however tough that may prove to be - came through from all. The event was well-attended and especially so by students, proving the next generation of humanitarians is hard on the heels of the day’s speakers.

Many organisations require levels of experience, education and training that take some effort to acquire, before they’ll consider volunteers for service abroad. Two qualifications repeatedly mentioned throughout the day were the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Health ( http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/ ), which was splendidly described by Tom Doherty of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes (DMCC) from the Faculty of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine at the Society of Apothecaries ( http://www.apothecaries.org/ ), introduced by Professor Jim Ryan, the new President of the RSM’s Forum. It was clear that being appropriately prepared would help would-be volunteers not only find a post but also operate safely and effectively in the field and without becoming more of a burden than assistance to those they mean to help.

‘Medicine Overseas’ was a success thanks to the quality of the speakers and the messages they put across but also, in large part, due to the enthusiasm of the audience on the day. Forthcoming Forum events at the RSM which may interest readers include, ‘Advances in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder’ on 13 May, an evening of presentations from the DMCC on 24 September and a joint meeting with the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, ‘Violence, the surgeon and the modern world’ in November. Next year will see the ‘UK International Disaster Medicine Conference’ and, at the request of many delegates, the reprise of ‘Medicine Overseas’. For those who couldn’t make it on the day, the RSM hopes to make available a DVD recorded on the day.

The RSM welcomes student members and members will receive discounts on attendance at Catastrophes and Conflict Events. See http://www.rsm.ac.uk/ for details. James Matheson: m0501997@sgul.ac.uk

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