AFRICA - KENYA MEDICAL STUDENT ELECTIVES

In Kenya, medical students will not only have the opportunity to work alongside local doctors but will also have the option of participating in local projects that will be of real benefit to the local community.
Students will fly into Nairobi and will be taken to Naivasha for their introductory briefing and orientation. They will then be taken to their respective hospitals.
Initially, medical elective placements have been arranged at four Kenyan hospitals, all in the more densely populated southwest and within a 450km (280 mile) radius of Nairobi.

Naivasha: 89km (55 miles) to the North West of Nairobi, Lake Naivasha is the highest lake in the Great Rift Valley. As the location of the earliest airstrip in the country, Naivasha quickly became an enclave of colonial settlement and retains the highest density of Europeans, still playing polo on Sundays. The local agriculture is focussed on farming flowers for the European market. The local game reserve (Hell's Gate) is the only national game reserve in Kenya where visitors are allowed to walk without a guide because the threat from predators is very low. It was also the location for the Hollywood film, "Sheena - Queen of the Jungle". Accommodation at Naivasha is excellent.

To the South West of the lake is Maasai territory. This huge area is administered by the Maasai tribes and includes the golden savannah of the Maasai Mara game reserve that hosts an extraordinary density of wildlife at certain points in the annual migrations.

Nakuru: : Lake Nakuru is another of the Great Rift Valley lakes and is famous for being the home of one third of the world's entire population of lesser flamingos. It is found at the bottom of the second largest known volcanic caldera in the world. On the northern shores of the lake is Kenya's fourth largest town, Nakuru, 251km (156 miles) from Nairobi and poised at the edge of the vast plain of the rift valley floor that stretches away to the North. It is the agricultural capital of Kenya and a busy town with a busy and large hospital where students will get a lot of hands-on experience and teaching in all the medical specialities.

Kericho: The highest of our four locations (at 6,600 feet) is Kericho, located in the western highlands of Kenya. This is in the heart of the tea-growing region, a high and gentle plateau, dominated by the dark green of the tea bush and virtually temperate in climate. The local people are of the Kipsigis Tribe and are almost all employed in tea plantations. Sugar cane, maize and bananas are also cultivated in this beautiful area.

Homa Bay: Homa bay is the very poorest location, on the shores of Lake Victoria and cut off from Nairobi by the Western Highlands and a distance of 432km (268 miles). The shores of Lake Victoria are a prime breeding site for mosquitoes so malaria is a constant threat to the population, it is also in one of the leading zones for HIV/AIDS prevalence along the shores of Lake Victoria. Goods are offloaded here on their way to Kisumu but the local economy is troubled. It is a challenging and needy area to work in. Students will have excellent accommodation at Homa bay and will work in the hospital alongside doctors of Medecins sans Frontieres.

The Discovery Trip: This will begin with a safari to the Maasai Mara with an opportunity to see the "big five" (lion, zebra, elephant, giraffe and rhino). Next, a few days will be spent at Elsamere (the home of Joy Adamson - made famous by the film "Born Free") on Lake Naivasha to see hippo and visit the Maasai tribespeople. Students may then attempt to climb Mt Kenya.
Students will spend the first 4 weeks in a hospital, then 2 weeks on the discovery trip. For the final four weeks students may return to their original hospital, try a different hospital in Kenya or participate in community based medicine and clinics. Attachments are dependant on availability.

A 10 week elective to Kenya will cost £2000 to £2500 (GBP) dependant on cost of flights and time of year. This includes the flights, transfers, bed and breakfast, hospital attachment and the Discovery Trip. Students are strongly advised to take out travel insurance which we can advise on. Vaccination and visa advice will be provided.

Contact us for further information: info@medicsaway.co.uk