Program Reviews

My GapMedics trip to Tanzania was the most incredible experience of my life. I'm currently in medical school back in Australia and I'm constantly finding links to what I saw and did on my trip. It was an invaluable experience. I got to see and do things that I won't see again for years, if at all! Jerry, Baptista and Mdoe were the most beautiful and hilarious program managers/directors in the world and I miss them every day. Akiba's food was wonderful and Katie gave the best hugs. I wish I was back in my Tanzania home.

I travelled to Iringa, Tanzania in September last year. I stayed in the gapmedics rock house for three weeks and can safely say it was the best experience of my life so far. The accommodation is fantastic, the rock house is the biggest and is really comfortable and I definitely felt at home. The town house is slightly closer to the Iringa regional hospital and is smaller but is also quite comfortable and safe - I managed to get to have a look at this house! The staff really support you and make you feel safe, on the first day going to placement they will walk with you, show you around the hospital and show you around Iringa.
The hospital placements are incredible, with the chance to get involved in lectures, surgeries and (in my case) delivering babies !!!
Usually, your placement at the hospital will end at around 2, and you then have the chance to visit the local orphanage or go to the masai market in Iringa town centre - there are also some lovely places to have lunch such as Neema's cafe, who sell chocolate brownies..!
At the weekend you also have the chance to explore - don't miss out on the Safari Weekend.. you travel by jeep (a fun journey in itself!) to the Ruaha Hilltop Lodge on the edge of Ruaha National Park. The safari day on the saturday is brilliant, just like the lion king haha. On the sunday you will get to travel to a masai village before heading back to Iringa.
An absolutely fantastic experience..six months on and I am planning on going back to Africa. It gets under your skin !!!

I went to Tanzania when i was 16 with gap medics! I thought that because i was so young id have trouble fitting in and socializing but i didn't i had exactly the same experience as everyone else.
I made friends about three months before going by going on the gap medics facebook and searching for people going around the same time, this really helped as i then got on the flights with them and was never alone from England to Tanzania and back!
The medical experience i gained was amazing, we saw so many more births and Cesareans in just a few hours than i had ever seen in my whole life. Generally you finished on the wards at one and then could do whatever you wanted, we all went out for lunch everyday and then did a bit of shopping or something.
The locals are very friendly and as long as you're in a group you don't feel unsafe.
I would definitely recommend going on the weekend safari, I saw every animal i could ever imagine seeing in Africa and got a lovely meal everynight.

Going to Tanzania with GapMedics was one of the best things I have ever done. I met amazing people, saw amazing things, went to local markets and little local restaurants hidden away from the tourists, went to safari and on top of all of this I learnt so much. It's difficult to be able to capture how amazing the trip was in just a few words, but it was simply amazing and I would recommend it to everyone. Before going I was scared about my safety, but as long as you are careful it isn't a problem, and the staff are super helpful and sweet. I'm still in contact with the people I met there, and some have turned into great friends. At the end of my trip I spent 3 nights in Zanzibar which was the perfect end to an amazing trip. I definitely recommend doing the full weekend safari, and going to Zanzibar if you get the chance. The food was great, and once a week there was a big bbq night after which we would go out for a bit. Sometimes we would also go into the village in the afternoon after we were done at the hospital for late lunch or a snack.

Going on this trip was honestly the best decision I have made in my life.
A typical day involved waking up and attending ward rounds or watching operations in close proximity. This ended at about 1pm usually, leaving the rest of the day for sightseeing, visiting orphanages, going to nightclubs, having meals out or the weekly football games/BBQ nights! Everyday was completely different. Experiences here will not be matched anywhere else.
Do not miss out on the Safari!

things i liked:
- how there was time to interact and make new friends
- the different activities we could do
- independence we gained
- food in the house
- staff members in the house
- hospital experience

things i thought needed improvement:
- taking autos everywhere (most money spent on autos)

I spent just one week in India in August 2012 and it was the best week of my life.

I started at the airport by myself but by the time I reached Delhi had already met 10 other students also on the programme. As soon as we arrived in Jodhpur we were whisked away to our house. The house was very spacious and cool, considering the outside heat!

The food wasn't great as it was curry for practically every meal but I didn't mind as we tended to go out for meals as it was very cheap and we wanted to be out in India!

I was with the paediatrician at the Kamlar Nagar hospital which meant that the majority of the time we watched him check children (like a GP) who all seemed to have the same illness, so we went for a look around the hospital and spent some time in the A&E room (yes, room!). I would recommend that anyone interested in children's nursing to maybe go for the midwifery programme instead and they were involved in the deliverance of babies and I didn't really get to be involved with treatment of children apart from one morning on the ward rounds.

India was just incredible, it's really got a place in my heart now and I probably want to move out there when I am older.

Overall the experience was something I will never forget and I wish I had gone for at least 2 weeks as it would have made it better value, including flights etc it was around £2,000 for the week.

I would definitely recommend gap medics, and the support before and during your trip was exceptional as there was a girl from england who worked for GM who was in the house with us.

I went on the sixth form special so only actually went for a week, however if i had the time i would have stayed so much longer i didn't want to leave. When starting out I was extremely nervous about meeting everyone and actually travelling alone, but by seeing other people in their GapMedics T-shirt i quickly made friends even just at the airport. Every day was different out there and there was always something exciting that you could do. My placement at the hospital started at 9 where you would have a meeting with all of the doctors and nurses so they could see how the hospital is doing in terms of mortality rates, birth rates ect. they would ensure that you understood everything they were discussing and always asked for your input which always was scary at times gave you the confidence to ask any questions you need. I shadowed a nurse and she was very flexible with what i could do. She allowed me to chance bandages and go off to other wards if i was interested in something particular for example i wanted to see a operation so she let me go off if there was one i was interested in seeing. All the staff were so friendly in the hospital and the GapMedic staff really do make your trip. They are so easy to get along with and really do care for your every need. Although i wasnt there for long you make strong bonds between you the other students and the staff. The highlight of my experience was visiting the local orphanage to spend the day with the children there, it was the most surreal but amazing things to do and all the staff there are extremely welcoming. The only downside to my trip is that i got food poisoning on the last 2 days so that wasnt much fun! but the lead doctor from the hospital actually visited me at the house to give me some tablets, so i was well looked after. Overall it was the most memorable experience i have had and i am definitely going on another!

Being a 17 year old in UK wanting to do medicine, its seriously difficult to get work experience in a clinical environment, let alone see things and actually doing things would simply never happen. In tanzania it's a whole different story... You WILL see some amazing things over there no matter how long you stay for (I went for three weeks in OPD, Obs & Gynae and Surgery and some things truly changed my views on life, for the better) before I left for tanzania, I didn't know what to expect but very quickly you get into the swing of things, all of the staff are amazing- sillah, jerry, akiba, baptista, they'll answer any questions and will help you with anything.
There's so much to say, I simply can't put it all down, the facts are...
You'll have probably the greatest time of your life,
Make loads of true friends,
Get truly invaluable experience,
Love every second of it.

It is safe to say my time in Tanzania was one of the best experiences i've had to date. I would be lying if i said that i had worried about my arrival and the fact i wouldn't know anyone but in perspective my worries were unnecessary. Everybody was in the exact same boat as me and therefore it was easy to get on with and make friends with everyone. On arrival at Dar Mdoe (Gap medics representative) was there to meet everyone off their flights and along with Jerry we were accompanied all the way to Iringa.

When you first arrive at the house they tell you that it's your "home." And although at first you may be skeptical (i know i was) it wasn't long until i realised it really was. The staff were friendly, welcoming and always eager to help causing you to feel more than comfortable.

The placements at the hospital were also amazing. The doctors gave amazing notes and were eager for you to learn and take away from the experience. You'll also find that in Tanzania the placements you get in the hospital are more 'access all areas' and hands on than anything you can find on the UK. This is explained by a phrase that became very common among the students T.I.A (this is africa).

In our free time there was more than enough to do. Everyone spends a lot of time in town, the Masai market, warthogs and Neema's being particular favourites. Not only can you "shop till you drop" but you can help out at the orphanages, go horse riding and take a walk up to "The Rock" to watch the sunset go down.

I also went on safari which was an amazing experience. How close you get to the animals is extraordinary, much better than visiting any old zoo.

I can't write enough about how amazing my experience was. At the end of the two weeks i wished i had booked up for longer and i have been left seriously considering going back next summer.