Submitted by Val Hiscock on
The St Lazarus Charitable Trust has been working with EMMS International since 2014, supporting young medical students undertaking elective placements in leprosy-affected countries. We were delighted to welcome their Development Officer, Alison Steele, and 3 students to speak to members of the Order at the Liverpool Investiture in October.
Alison writes:
‘It was a pleasure to bring bursary winners and the Order together, and enable Emma Bean, Judith Clarke, and Andrew Duncan to share their experiences of what being on elective was like. Emma and Judith are currently in their final year studying for a Medicine degree at the University of Glasgow, and Andrew is now working as a doctor at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
‘They all painted a fantastic picture of how unforgettable their electives were; Emma spent her elective at Anandaban Leprosy Hospital in Nepal. By a happy coincidence, one of the Order members present had been a doctor at the same hospital and so he and Emma swapped stories! Judith was at Makunda Leprosy Hospital in India for her elective, and she witnessed the amazing work all of the hospital staff do with the limited resources they have at their disposal. Andrew told a similar story of how resourceful Nkhoma Mission Hospital was in Malawi. He was able to complement his colleagues’ knowledge of particular illnesses, and learnt a great deal from his time at this busy mission hospital.
‘We at EMMS International are very keen to bring the Order closer to the fantastic work that they are supporting, so more presentations have been, and will hopefully continue to be, organised over the coming months.
Many thanks to the St Lazarus Charitable Trust for inviting us down to Liverpool.’