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EMERGENCY MEDICINE 

TANZANIA

Work in busy departments in a local hospitals alongside the medical team treat, diagnose and asses unwell patients from the local community. Teach, advise, help lead multidisciplinary teams, run clinics or work alongside local specialists. See more for our specialised programs in Obstetrics, Emergency Trauma & Surgery below.

ABOUT THIS PLACEMENT 

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Age requirement: 18 years + 

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For Student Intern Requirements: Degree/University/College level minimum second year Medicine or related medical studies.

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For Professional Volunteer Requirements: Minimum 6 months work experience in a related field

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Number of volunteers: Solo individuals, Groups are welcome

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Duration: From 2 weeks to 12 months.

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Start date: No specific start date, start at any time during the year.

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Fees:​

  1. $150 registration fee

  2. Book between 2 weeks and 12 months (see exact fees)

    • Includes accommodation​

    • Placement preparation, facilitation & coordination

    • Airport pick up + drop off

    • Free 1 hour Swahili Language class with an experience professional instructor

  3. $25-$50 per week Tanzania hospital participation fee dependent on the facility

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Medi Trip Placements

Founded and run by a qualified medical professional, Medi Trip is clinically led, medically focused and patient centred. At Medi Trip we are distinguished in being able to use our healthcare experience and expertise to pick the most suitable settings for our professional volunteers to experience. When you volunteer with Medi Trip, your volunteer placement would have been chosen specifically to suit your area of interest. Each of our placements are carefully assessed and selected for suitability to our professional volunteers, as well as how much contribution goes into the local health and social welfare. 

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So what exactly is medical volunteering?  

It takes truly committed people to this abroad! With medical volunteering, you will be volunteering to work with patients or in a healthcare specific area on a voluntary basis. Unlike other types of volunteering, medical volunteering is a difficult, challenging and profound area. Medical volunteers will witness and experience things other volunteers never will or what they never would have at home. This can be a huge challenge as often times volunteers experience situations that can leave them feeling sad, shocked or confused. But for the most part volunteers are often left amazed at the resilience of their patients and at the skill and dedication of their new colleagues. It truly is a hugely moving experience and one most Medi Trippers never forget.

 

You may not be sure about your next step, thinking about taking a gap year or an elective/internship, Tanzania has bountiful opportunities to explore and develop yourself and meet some of the kindest and most gracious people in the world. 

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Image by Harlie Raethel
Image by Zach Vessels

Matilda M 

 

Volunteered in December 2023

I spent 5 weeks with Medi trip in Arusha, Tanzania Emergency Department. I was picked up by Meditrip from the airport and had support from the moment I landed. I was taken to the hostel where I was staying and had my orientation where I was shown around Arusha and how to get to the hospital. During my time at the ED I saw a huge variety of cases that were very different to presentations we get in the UK. The doctors and nurses really allowed me to get involved in everything and I practiced lots of skills. The doctors tried to translate all the cases to me as well. During my placement I saw someone from Meditrip/Siret volunteers at the hostel everyday so there was always someone from the company to talk to and ask for help if you needed any support. I reccomend this program for someone who is already quite experienced in Emergency Medicine and sometimes it got very busy and some prior knowledge was definitely needed to keep up and be confident in helping. Meditrip was a great organisation and I would definitely recommend them and would volunteer with them again! 

EMERGENCY PATHWAY

We are offering the opportunity to join the following:

 

  • Trauma; severe, serious and minor injuries

    • Minors: Urgent care injuries, wound care and minor treatments

    • Majors: Severe injuries requiring complex and specialist surgeries

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You will have the choice between two major hospitals with two different placement styles. You will join either the observational or the participatory placement. You will be given details on both to make an informed decision before you're registered to that hospital.

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You will be attached to a large hospital that caters to the wider community and work within specific departments that receive patients presenting with surgical or urgent medical issues. You will learn how the team manages their patients with many socio-economic challenges including being under staffed, having lack of specialised equipment and resources. 

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You will be orientated, supported and fully supervised and work with hardworking, passionate and caring teams.

 

Learn first hand the importance of global health and why it has become a high priority agenda to create  world wide collaboration to improve levels of poverty and poor health. This may be your very first step in becoming the change!

 

About Arusha

Tanzania belongs to the East African community, neighboured by Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Mozambique. Arusha is in northern Tanzania; a very unique and vibrant city at the base of Mount Meru, about an hour away from the tallest mountain in Africa Mount Kilimanjaro. The city is surrounded by natural beauty being in close proximity to several national parks including Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Olduvai and Arusha National Parks.

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Interestingly, Arusha hosted the international criminal tribunal for Rwanda and sits as the de facto East African Community capital. Despite being in a conservative and religious country, Arusha is regarded as more liberal and very open to foreigners. Perhaps due to it's historical significance in the 1961 Arusha Declaration, which gave independence to modern Tanzania from the British Commonwealth. The city is very much a melting pot, multicultural and populated by people from all different backgrounds. The main language spoken is Swahili and a visitor would do well by learning a few of the many greetings. 

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Review from JAN HENZELAMANN, (Germany)

3RD JAN-19TH FEB  2025 - Emergency Department

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Dear Pearl, 

 

I just wanted to let you know that I have now completed my stay with MediTrip and have made it home safely after climbing Kilimanjaro last week. Thus, I wanted to provide you with some brief feedback and let you know what I thought. To be honest, I am still a bit speechless and in awe about the last 5-6 weeks. Looking back it almost seems like a dream. Yes, the beginning was tough and I was pretty culture-shocked in the beginning, but as outlined in the handbook I settled in quite quickly and soon started getting the hang of everything. The hostel life was very pleasant and I can now say, that I’ve gained some real friendships, that I already miss. Life in and around Arusha didn’t disappoint either and I made the most out of it… from Safari to Zanzibar. The hospital placement has been a profoundly shaping experience and given me a different outlook on life itself. The tasks I was entrusted to do, surpassed my expectations by far. On the first day, right after lunch I was involved in performing CPR on and off for multiple hours together with a team of other volunteers and got to witness and partake in the ethical decision making required to let the patient go when it was time. Later on in the programme, I got to do my first sutures under the supervision of one of the volunteer doctors and went on to do multiple sutures by myself after that. In between, I got to briefly see a few other departments as well and gained a pretty comprehensive overview of the whole hospital system. My last day actually finished with another round of CPR on a critical patient, which underscored the rough reality on the ground, but once more highlighted the creative nature and strenght of the doctors working in this low-resource environment. I think I made more progress and learned more about real pracitcal medicine in the weeks at Mount Meru than in a few semesters at home. For that I am grateful. Apart from participating myself, simply observing the hectic life at the hospital and witnessing life and death situtations almost on an every-day basis has impacted me deeply. I think I can speak for all the other volunteers I was with, when I say that we will all never take our healthcare systems for granted every again and start to rethink our own needs and privileges after seeing the incredible resilience and strenght of the Tanzanian people. This placement has shown me such a raw and unfiltered version of life and given me a reality-check in some ways. Living at the hostel and working locally, has allowed me to get to know the soul of the country like any regular vacation would’ve never been able to. I am still surprised by the open and friendly nature of the people, who are just happy to share their life with you. All in all, I don’t think I could’ve chosen a better programme and provider for this gap year experience and will continue to reflect about this experience, that will probably stick with me for quite a while. I would love to come back to Arusha some day, perhaps once I’m a fully licensed doctor and pick up where I left off with a new skill set. 

 

I’d like to extend my gratitude to you and everyone of the MediTrip Team, that has made this incredible experience possible! 

Where will you stay?​

You will stay in a volunteer house. where we provide safe, clean and comfortable accommodation, comfortable bedding, breakfast and dinner (dinner's Monday to Friday) and housekeeping. This will be a quiet and friendly neighbourhood 15 minutes from the main hustle and bustle of town. You will have wifi, hot showers, 24 hour gated security, a domestic/cook (who will happily do your laundry for a small fee) and a coordinator who will ensure you settle in quickly and comfortably into your new town. This is a shared home where you will be staying with other volunteers from across the world, so you will never be on your own in your new environment. The house is impeccably clean, well kept, modern and spacious.

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Important VISA & Permit Information

You will be required to pay a for a VISA for voluntary work assignment. Please enquire for details.

Clinical Practice Fee

This is a payment all medical volunteers in Tanzania must make towards your host hospital (Ministry of Health, Tanzania). 

 

Where do my fees go?

Most of your fees are spent locally. Fees ensure you have above standard accommodation, that you have a personal coordinator picking you up at the airport, orientating you and you have a coordinator day to day and your program is planned and facilitated specifically for you, to match your skills and get you to provide the very best to those that need you. 

 

Is Africa safe for me to travel alone? Do I need to be with other volunteers?

​Regardless of whether you're volunteering on a clinical mission, you're still a tourist. Forward planning is key to protecting yourself from risk as you would anywhere in the world. As a group or a solo traveller from abroad, you will attract attention but, you will also have a great support system in your volunteer coordinators, fellow travellers/volunteers and ​supervisors. It's important to try and be conscientious of your new surroundings and respect and follow local customs as much as possible and insure yourself from any possible risks. 

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Africa is a large continent with every country varying greatly in local culture, customs, rules and regulations. Research your destination as much as possible and ask as many questions as possible. We would never place you at risk or in harm's way, however it is important you take ownership of your journey and behave responsibly. 

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