We are now well into May so I hope you are considering your contribution for this year’s “Doctor’s Day in May” effort. Your Colleagues have contributed over $40,000 so far so I am hoping you will join them.
Please recall the key concepts..
- This is “virtual volunteering” in that you are funding an expansion of medical care in the developing world rather than you actually going there and working in a clinic with all the
– inconvenience to you, your patients here and your family
– direct cost in actually getting there
– opportunity cost in lost income
– potential danger involved
- The “avatar” you are funding has much more of the particular skills and the language required to do the work needed in that particular environment.
- By contributing to medical wages in Africa, you are supporting their economy with all the multiplier effects implied.
- Medical wages, particularly for greatly required nursing services, are a fraction of the cost in Africa or New Guinea compared to those in Australia. In Australia, nurses typically earn about $40 per hour. In PNG, it’s $1.50 per hour.
This means your contribution goes a very long way in providing health care… which is after all why we chose medicine as a profession and what we try to do effectively on a daily basis.
Thanks for considering your contribution.