18 September 2008

Highly-qualified and experienced UNV volunteers make up significant proportions of the medical personnel attached to UN peacekeeping missions, helping keep staff fit and healthy and offering their skills to the populace too.

From doctors and nurses to pharmacists, radiographers and staff counsellors, these UNV volunteers perform every medical role imaginable. Of the 37 personnel at the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste 21 are UNV volunteers, notes UNV volunteer Nurse Cristina Carlos.

The support UNV volunteer medical personnel offer can be crucial to the wellbeing of UN missions. In Afghanistan, UNV volunteer Staff Counsellor Dr. Tracy Demmons offers psychological and social support. "Working at the UN can be stressful," she says, "especially, at times, in Afghanistan."

The crisis situations UN mission staff often face mean that the personal, professional and interpersonal dimensions of their lives are severely strained. "People cannot work and live like this forever," continues Dr. Demmons. "In order to prevent stress from escalating into larger problems, the Staff Counsellor offers support to the roughly 1,400 UN staff in Afghanistan for any work-related or personal concerns."

Moreover, UNV volunteers can make a difference to the local population, not only treating illness and injury but raising awareness via educational programmes. This entails travelling to remote areas, which may involve some unusual problems.

Dr. Charles Kisamba recounts an incident in the far north of Côte d'Ivoire when his vehicle became stuck. "We could not get out the vehicle for fear of wild beasts," he says. "So we hung around until the return of the first villagers who helped us get out of the quagmire. It was an unforgettable day for all of us involved."

Though medical staff like Nurse Carlos, Dr. Demmons and Dr. Kisamba are often already motivated by the desire to serve humanity, the volunteer aspect adds an extra dimension. "There comes a time in your life that, for personal or professional reasons, you need your work to count more than the number of drunk drivers, or chest pains seen in one hour," explains Cristina Carlos.

"You will remember that, when you hug that crying lady that misses her children, you are nursing her. You will remember that child with the bad burn, whose dressing you made."

Read Nurse Cristina Carlos's introduction to the UNMIT medical team here
Read Dr. Tracy Demmon's notes here
Read Dr. Charles Kisamba's notes here