Medical Volunteer Zanzibat

There is a disconnect between what this program promises and what it offers. The best parts were our host mother, who was very sweet and the driver who picked us up. My wife and I are medical professionals (doctor and nurse) and expected to be working in a hospital where we could be of significant use. While the program is advertised for medical professionals with all experiences the majority of volunteers at the hospital were medical students from Germany and Denmark who seemed to be very bored as they did not have much to do. It is a money making program for the hospital (which is understandable as it is government run and relies on donations for supplies) as every volunteer has to pay the hospital to work there. But the hospital does not offer much for the students. In fact my wife and I spent most of our week helping to teach the medical students (who were very grateful we showed up) and taking charge with patient care to the extent we could given the language barrier. Rounds and teaching are very haphazard and by 12pm there is not much do do. Also volunteering solutions never gave our information to the hospital and so there was a delay in us even getting started on Monday. I think they mostly let it slide once they found out we were actual medical staff and not students (which they kept saying is rare for them). If you are a medical professional I would not recommend this program. If you are a student, your mileage will vary but it did not seem the students there were very happy with their experience.