Four students from Vietnam University’s College of Health Sciences (VinUni) said they had the experience of a lifetime when they were hosted by UKZN’s Medical School for two weeks, gaining exposure to South Africa’s healthcare system thanks to a memorandum of understanding between their institution and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) at UKZN.
Earlier this year, two UKZN medical students under the CAPRISA Research Placement Programme, Mr Saien Govender and Mr Mohamed Hoosen Suleman, had a similar opportunity, spending two weeks in Hanoi, Vietnam, where they observed how healthcare is delivered to citizens in comparison to the state of local healthcare.
‘The experience in Vietnam was incredible,’ said Govender. ‘Exposure to both private and public hospitals helped me to develop a better understanding of healthcare in terms of the cultural and contextual differences. Clerking highlighted the importance of speaking the patient’s language whilst showing compassion and professionalism. I encourage students to apply for exchange programmes to deepen their understanding of medicine, gain invaluable experience and develop confidence in practicing the art of medicine.’
Govender was amongst the UKZN students who enjoyed hosting the “humble and respectful” Vietnamese visitors, third-year Medical students, Mr Dang Ngoc Khoi, Mr Le Minh Tien and Ms Tran Thuy Linh and Bachelor of Nursing student, Ms Ekwebelem Susan Chinenye.
The students received a warm welcome from CAPRISA, offering them an extensive programme which included visits to its research sites and insightful presentations from its various ongoing clinical and community-based projects. The VinUni visitors said they were privileged to tour UKZN’s state-of-the-art laboratories led by the host students and Professor Michelle Gordon, Academic Leader for Infectious Diseases in the School of Laboratory Medicine and Medial Sciences.
Tien said: ‘We live in a world where everything is connected, and I am not talking about social media or the Internet, but of collaboration. The outbreak of COVID-19 in China and the pandemic’s rapid spread across the world prompted collaboration between multiple countries to understand what was happening, how we might tackle it, and constant surveillance of a new outbreak. One country alone could not do all that. It needed the research, the vaccines, and the co-ordination from other countries to be able to control the virus.’
He added that exchange programmes offer Medical students an opportunity to learn about other countries’ culture and healthcare systems, and to make international friends, allowing them to work multi-nationally when they become forward thinkers in their fields. ‘Sharing of knowledge between Medical students of multiple nationalities will improve future healthcare systems.’
The students said they enjoyed not only South Africa’s warm climate, but also the welcoming locals, interacting with their friendly student counterparts, and spending time with leading experts who introduced them to cutting-edge technology that is being used to advance health sciences research in the laboratories that they toured.
Words: Lunga Memela
Photograph: Supplied