A few weeks ago, we gave you the second instalment of our ‘In the Spotlight’ series, which shines a light on some of our amazing DICE Programme volunteer participants, who regularly took time away from their busy schedules as healthcare professionals working in clinics in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) to attend our weekly Emergency Care training sessions between April – December 2020.
Today, we speak briefly to Dr Mahmuda Afrin, a Medical Doctor who has been working in Rohingya response for about 2 years. Read on to learn a little about her, why she chose her profession, and what she has gained from participating in the DICE Programme.
In the spotlight: Dr Mahmuda Afrin
Why did you become a doctor and what do you love about your role?
I am a medical doctor with a passion to serve vulnerable people, and hence I became a humanitarian worker. I hope [and] dream to make quality emergency health care accessible and affordable to all, irrespective of their ability to pay.
What have you learnt about emergency healthcare whilst volunteering your time/participating in the DICE Programme?
In our academia, we were trained in a tertiary level hospital with all facilities available. Here [with DICE] we learnt, and also gained new skills related to dealing with health emergencies with only minimum resources available.
One day, when I was referring a patient (obstetric emergency) that was beyond our capacity to a higher centre with further facilities, I remembered what we had learned from DICE in relation to referrals and how to give a handover, and even how to communicate effectively with the clinician on the other side of the telephone.
Thank you to Dr Mahmuda Afrin for giving us her time and offering some insight into how the DICE programme has benefited her.
Read more about our work in Bangladesh / Support Doctors Worldwide.
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