I would have to say hands down that the most rewarding experience I’ve encountered during my time at the University of Kansas would have to be my experience on the Jayhawk Health Initiative’s medical brigade to the Darien province of Panama. During our week in the community, we were able to participate in the newly established public health brigade as well as help set up a free medical/dental clinic for surrounding indigenous areas of the province.

Before heading out into the Èmbara community to participate in the public health brigade initiative that was newly implemented in the region, we were able to read through the personal statements written by the families who had requested to participate to receive a new latrine for their household. The reasons ranged from “I’m tired of climbing the mountain behind our village to use the restroom to avoid the community’s water source” to “the snakes by the river where we use the restroom are dangerous”. It was definitely eye opening to read through the safety concerns the families had in regards to simply using the restroom. When we arrived we met the woman whose latrine we would be laying the foundation for. She was a younger woman, only a few years older than us volunteers, and a mother of five young children. She had spearheaded an initiative of her own to bring clothes from Panama City out to their small village to give the women more of a selection of clothes than many were used to. Witnessing the cohesiveness of the community was another unique aspect of the public brigade. These were able bodied people who desired to improve the living environment and health of their community while maintaining the cultural aspect of their people.

My first day in the clinic I was stationed in the dentist station. For me this was the most impactful station in the clinic. The main duties of the volunteers were to hand the dentist and her assistant the dental equipment; this mostly consisted of loading shots of anesthetic and tools that looked like pliers. Another more strenuous role was helping calm the children in their parents’ laps as the dentist attempted to perform extractions in a school desk. The dentist also had the difficult task of confronting the parents regarding their crucial role in the oral care of their infant children. She encouraged demanded that these parents start to take responsibility of forming healthy habits for their young children in hopes that the hygiene habits of the community as a whole would begin to improve through the generations.

This experience opened my eyes to a whole new window of healthcare I’d never thought to pursue before. I now have a much greater interest in public health and more specifically international health care practice and policy. One thing that remained the same was the friendliness of the people with whom we were working with. I entered the clinic with a fear that we would be perceived as well-off American students who simply desired an exotic week abroad giving our aid to an under deserved community. While that may have been the perception of some of the elders in the community, the overwhelming majority of the people we were welcoming and accepting of our presence in their community. I distinctly remember smiling and babbling at a baby in the arms of his mother and her friendly and welcoming reaction. That ordinary interaction between two people who live over 3,000 miles away in two very different nations was just as impactful on my experience as shadowing the Panamanian doctors. 

The experiences I received from my trip to Panama with Jayhawk Health Initiative reached far beyond anything I could have ever learned in the classroom. In Panama I was able to observe and take part in all types of healthcare and at the same time learn about a system that is drastically different from that of the US. My first day in the community, I worked alongside other brigaders to assist an Emberá man to build a latrine outside of his house. This was the Public Health portion of the brigade and it was optional for students, but I found it immensely rewarding. By building this latrine I was able to take part in the ground roots project that will help the Emberá people maintain their health by eliminating the E.coli, from their feces, that infects their food and water supply. 

In the following two days, I was able to take part in the clinic which we held in the nearby school. Here I was able to observe Panamanian doctors, sort medication with a pharmacist, observe dental extractions performed by a Panamanian dentist, and interact with the children in “charla.” The two stations that had the largest impact on me were shadowing and observing the doctors and dentist. 

While shadowing the doctors, I saw a man with acute bronchitis and watched a doctor tell a new mother that her infant son was blind. The interactions between the doctors and patients were very different from those I have observed in the United States. All three doctors consulted patients in the same room, but at different tables. In a single meeting they would treat every family member. The lack of privacy with the patients surprised me because it contrasts greatly from the US system, but by the end of the trip I came to like it and understand its benefits. Benefits such as the patient never being alone with their diagnosis and it allowed for every family member to hear the information first hand from the doctor. 

While observing the dentist I was able to watch many teeth extractions from people of all ages. From the dentist I learned the importance of education for both the parents and the children. For each child from whom the dentist pulled rotted teeth, she scolded the parents for not having their child brush his or her teeth. She made certain the parents understood that their child would not have to be going through the pain of the extraction if they had taught their children proper dental hygiene. I was impressed by her ability to console the children while get her point across with the parents. I had never considered going into dentistry before I observed her, and I have not changed my mind, but I definitely have a new found respect for the position. 

All in all, my experience in Panama taught me about healthcare in all its forms and it is an experience I hope to repeat in my near future.