What is working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad like?

• Responsibilities: Working in the medical sector abroad can range from being a nurse in a local hospital in Africa to a policy officer at an international NGO in Asia, or a doctor in a mobile clinic in South America. It can be demanding and intensive, but also extremely educational. You'll encounter different healthcare systems, cultural differences, and sometimes diseases that have long since disappeared in your home country.
• Your workday might involve treating patients, developing health programs, providing information, or improving logistics and policy. In many countries, it's primarily about making do with what's available, which can sometimes be surprisingly limited.
• Duties depend greatly on your role, but may include:
  • treating patients in various facets of healthcare, or supporting local medical teams.
  • providing information on hygiene, nutrition, prevention, and health.
  • assisting with research or developing programs.
  • collaborating with local authorities, NGOs, and international colleagues.
  • producing videography and documentaries.
  • providing emergency relief during disasters.
• Working conditions: Volunteer work and internships are often unpaid, but you'll learn a lot. You'll often be paid through NGOs or international organizations, or at a local company. 
• In developing countries, it's more often about volunteer work or a small allowance (room and board are provided, but a salary isn't always).
• At (private) healthcare institutions, the pay is often much better, especially in places with many expats.
• At international NGOs or development organizations, you can sometimes work on a contract basis, often with international salary scales.
• Housing can vary from a basic volunteer house to an apartment in the city. Expect a mosquito net more than air conditioning.
• Care and safety: vaccinations, insurance, and an emergency plan are usually mandatory.

What are the reasons for working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• To feel a sense of commitment: you directly contribute to better care for people who don't automatically have access to it. You make a genuine contribution to the world.
• To enhance your personal development: you learn to deal with limited resources, challenging circumstances, and sometimes even considerable bureaucracy.
• To build a network: you get to know doctors, healthcare workers, and NGO staff locally and from around the world. To put things into perspective: a crisis at home might suddenly stop being a real crisis when you see the circumstances of others.

What skills and motivations do you need to work in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• Analysis: quickly grasping situations, from a medical problem to a chaotic healthcare system. Communicating: It's important to be able to explain what's going on in simple terms.
• Empathizing: Understanding that patients can also be afraid or suspicious.
• Collaborating: With anyone present—from local nurses to international volunteers.
• Results-oriented: Ultimately, it's about better health for the community.
• Stress-resistant: Crisis situations are part of life. It's important to be confident in these situations.

What are the best countries and locations to work in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• Volunteering in hospitals and clinics: Africa (e.g., Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana).
• Health education or support in local hospitals: South America: (e.g., Peru, Ecuador).
• Working in health programs or research: Asia: (e.g., Nepal, Cambodia).
• International NGOs with medical programs or policy positions: Europe (e.g., Brussels, Geneva).
• From working in luxury clinics in Australia to working on remote islands with limited resources (The Pacific).
• Tropical medicine: Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Suriname, Indonesia.

What are the risks of working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad, and how are you insured against those risks?

• What are the risks of working in healthcare of the medical sector abroad?
  • Your health insurance might expire when you do (voluntary) work abroad.
  • Local employers generally offer limited or no supplementary insurance.
  • Medical liability: errors or misunderstandings in healthcare, such as incorrect medication or an incorrect procedure, can lead to high claims or even criminal prosecution in some countries.
  • Exposure to infectious diseases: working in hospitals or clinics abroad can pose additional risks of hepatitis, tuberculosis or tropical diseases, especially when protective equipment is limited. A lack of gloves, disinfection, sterile materials or safe needles can increase risks.
  • Mental strain and moral stress: working long hours in understaffed teams, dealing with death or cultural differences in healthcare can lead to burnout, insomnia or trauma.
  • Physical risks due to the working environment: long shifts, lifting patients, working in extreme heat or cold increase the risk of back problems, overexertion or exhaustion.
  • Unsafe or unstable regions: healthcare workers in disaster areas or conflict zones are at risk of violence, theft, kidnapping or limited medical care in the event of illness or injury.
  • These risks obviously vary greatly from country to country and job to job, but as a doctor, nurse or volunteer temporarily working in healthcare abroad, it is good to be aware of it. You may find yourself working in situations that do not meet European healthcare standards. It is also a good idea to check the coverage options offered by your overseas employment insurance.
• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad. See the pages on: insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.