Articles

World's neediest kids suffer in recession, by Marisol Bello (USA TODAY). May, 2009. This article describes how the recession is forcing organizations that provide medical treatment to children in developing countries to scale back medical missions and limit hospital care.

Doctors Abandoning Poor Nations for Rich Ones. (New York Times) and Fatal Flaw - Doctors on the Move (New England Journal of Medicine) look at the devastating movement of physicians from poor nations to wealthy nations.

Surgical mission work: an inside perspective, by Monico Solomon, Jr, BS, CAT (Baylor University Medical Center). This article provides an inside look at surgical mission work abroad including the preparation, supplies, patient population and surgery conditions.

In Women and Children First (Rotarian) Paul Farmer proves the strong link between maternal wellbeing and child survival, and explains that to improve the lives of mothers and children in the developing world the global health community must focus on “visionary” solutions.

The Financial Crisis and Global Health (Global Health Magazine)--Lindsey Morgan discusses the reductions in pledged aid to the developing world due to the current financial crisis and the repercussions for global health that may ensue.

Great care must be given in how medical missions are implemented. Insuring that missions achieve maximum benefits is essential. The following articles take a critical look at how missions are organized and how to maximize long-term results.

The Cost of Short-Term Missions, by Jo Ann Van Engen

Short-Term Medical Missions: Enhancing or Eroding Health?, by Laura Montgomery

The Perceptions of Short-term Medical Volunteer Work: a Qualitative Study in Guatemala , by Tyler Green, Heidi Green, Jean Scandlyn and Andrew Kestler