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volunteer in nairobi hospital

Last activity 05 June 2012 by huani

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huani

Hello,

I am planning to come to Nairobi next month and I would like to do some volunteer in Nairobi hospital as I am a medical doctor. So I was wondering if anyone can give me some information on how to approach the hospitals  and which hospital allow international doctors to do volunteer without paying the fees.
I also want to ask if you could suggest some website for apt or house in nairobi.

thanks for ur help!

Nina

Wawuda

You could check with Kenyatta Hospital, I met some foreign medical doctors who were volunteering there once. 

As for apartments, it depends on your budget.  There are lots of furnished and unfurnished apartments available in Nairobi.

non4me

hi Huani,

You will need to check with the hospital first before they can allow you to volunteer. I know some doctors came by some years back and were not allowed to volunteer and they went back a few days later. I believe that you may need to apply for a work permit if you want to volunteer. Its best to check with immigration - http://www.immigration.go.ke/index.php? … Itemid=127 and see in which category applies. Kenyatta Hospital(its the hospital that rejected the volunteer doctors in 2009/10) is a government institution so it may be tricky getting it but it would the best as they deal with almost everything including emergencies, depending on what you are looking for. There are private hospitals like Aga Khan, Mater, Karen, Nairobi, Nairobi Women's Hospital and Getrude's Garden which is a children's hospital similar to Great Ormand hospital in the UK etc, There are also other smaller hospitals and clinics which if you wish to have more information please refer to these websites: http://www.nhif.or.ke/healthinsurance/i … Itemid=53/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Kenya

As for accommodation, this will depend on which hospital you will be volunteering at - Karen is in Karen which is slightly outside Nairobi so it would be prudent to live nearer to the hospital. Please check the following websites for more information;
www.xpatlink.info, www.dealfish.co.ke and if you want home-stay, I know people who can arrange this for you depending on how long you wish to stay and size of accommodation.

Hope the above info is useful and all the best.

Longonot62

Hello,
I agree with the above post.  You mention Nairobi Hospital, which is a private hospital, but as the previous post has indicated, there are many more.  They tend to have their own websites, so can be contacted via that method.

Of course to practice in Kenya, in either a public, or private hospital, you should be registered and gaining this can be a lengthy process http://www.medicalboard.co.ke/.

The Kenyan government has taken an increasingly tough stance towards the medical profession and professions allied to it.  This is because of the substantial number of bogus doctors which have been 'practicing' over the years.  I believe that it is now much more difficult to do voluntary medical work, where it used to be fairly straightforward. 

Additionally, as the above post has correctly pointed out; strictly, all work, paid or unpaid requires a work permit.  To obtain one is both expensive and quite a lengthy process. 

It is essential that you thoroughly research this, prior to making any arrangements, or spending any money and certainly don't go to Kenya on the assumption that it will be 'a walk in the park' to step into a volunteering role there. 

The alternative might be to contact an NGO, such as Merlin, or VSO.  These organisations may have roles for doctors, in Kenya and East Africa, but they are unlikely to be in Nairobi.

huani

Thank you all so much for your kinds suggestions and advice, I truly appreciate all your help .
I will try to inquire gvt and private hospital personally and hope if I can get some response from them.
I am coming here with my husband and will stay in Nairobi for few months, so I was thinking of doing medical volunteer and utilize my time. I have found plenty of ngos and agencies recruiting volunteer but all of them need to be paid to do volunteer in nairobi, that's why I am trying to find those hospitals which donot required to be paid for volunteership.
thank you once again!

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