Resources Lacking

Whist on an international prac in Fiji travelling with an Australian surgical team we would frequently attend the morning ward rounds with the local doctors and surgeons. At ward rounds we would get the history of patients and develop rapport seeing them each day. Due to te poor health conditions in fiji a patient with a fractured NOF was put on 3 weeks bed rest. This management was decided upon due the lack of anaesthetic drugs available for surgery. Due to this patients who were is need of surgery were put on bed rest until the country was able to aquire a new supply of surgical drugs.

This man who was put on bed rest died after 3 days due to the inability to receive the level of medical management he required. As a student in a first world country this was extremely hard to comprehend that people were dying due to a lack of resources.

This experience made me appreciate how fortunate we are to have the resources we do in Australia. It demonstrated how much of a difference resources can make to peoples lives. The Fijian physios are inspirational with the level treatment they can provide with the limited resources they have available. This experience taught me to think on my feet and utilise the environment around me taking nothing for granted.