| Macarthur based international development agency African AIDS Foundation and Global Health Awareness Western Sydney (GHAWS), have entered a partnership which will see fourth year medical students from the University of Western Sydney undertake their electives in Africa. African AIDS Foundation, which supports young people impacted by the AIDS pandemic in Africa, was approached in 2010 by students from GHAWS on behalf of the University of Western Sydney Medical Society about the possibility of spending time in an African hospital during their forthcoming elective in December. Dr John Schwarz, a Camden based medical practitioner was able to assist by helping arrange a placement at a rural Zulu hospital where he was medical superintendent from 1975 to 1984. “Four students will undertake a five week placement which will allow them to learn about medicine in a developing nation, where resources taken for granted in Australia are not readily available,” said Dr Schwarz, who travels each year to Africa to monitor projects supported by the people of Macarthur for the last ten years. GHAWS representative Soondoos Raashed stated “This is a very exciting time for GHAWS and our students. We are a young medical school with even younger student groups and as such we have been very fortunate to encounter organisations such as AAF who are willing to help us not only further our education, but also to help us contribute to society as medical professionals in training.” AAF has provided the four students with an orientation to what they can expect while on placement in Africa. The students will undertake a two day orientation to medicine in a developing environment at a teaching hospital in Durban prior to commencing their placement on 5 December at Emmaus Hospital, four hours south of Johannesburg in an area surrounded by Zulu Villages. The students will be accommodated at a youth camp near the hospital. |
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