Many health professionals who travel to developing countries to provide training in Emergency Medicine are often confronted by the lack of resources in the local hospitals. At the same time though, they return home with clinical knowledge in tropical diseases and other pathologies less common in Australasia. There is however one case which will stay in the mind of Dr Kai-Hsun Hsiao who recently returned after a three month training stint in Dharan, Nepal. It was the day a patient with multi-casualty trauma from an elephant attack was rushed to the hospital.
Dr Hsiao’s visit to the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Science was made possible through financial support from ISTIH. His role was to provide clinical teaching, support and mentorship particularly for the inaugural trainees in the Institute’s new specialist training program in Emergency Medicine. He found there were aspects of the Emergency Department which came as a bit of shock but concludes the posting a unique and enriching experience.
