Blog from Christina Chandra. Christina is working as
a communications intern for THET this summer. She is a senior at Yale
University majoring in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health.
Last evening I made my second trip to the Houses of
Parliament. This time, instead of visiting as a tourist, I had the privilege of
being a guest at the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global
Health’s report, Improving health at home and abroad: How
overseas volunteering from the NHS benefits the UK and the world. The
report addresses the role of NHS staff who volunteer overseas in advancing
health globally and bringing new knowledge, skills and ideas back to the UK,
and what can be done to facilitate this work further. The gathering hosted
around a hundred people working in the health sector, from those that have
volunteered abroad to those who have expertise in sending volunteers abroad.
After shaking off my initial daze from soaking in the
experience, I had the chance to reflect on the meaning of this report and how
it directly impacted the people in the room. As an outsider looking in, what I
found was a community of passionate people in the same line of work who have an
opportunity to work together to put their work on the radar of leaders who will
be able to support their continuing success in the future.
For example, Kevin Barron, MP to Rother Valley and a speaker
at the event, is one such leader who has been convinced that partnerships are
great for both his constituency and for communities overseas. His excitement
about the report stemmed from his knowledge of the work of secondary school
links in his constituency to schools in Africa. The enthusiasm he expressed about partnerships
is the enthusiasm that more MPs should have for health partnerships, specifically.
The benefits
of volunteering have been clearly outlined and should be passed on. Health
partnerships can meet with their MPs and tell them about the amazing work their
health partnerships have been able to achieve. If this happens, I can see that
the next time such an event happens, there will be a plethora of MPs lined up
to proudly talk about the health partnerships within their constituencies.
As the room filled with chatter following the speeches and
Q&A session, I could see that people were no doubt excited about health
partnerships. People were sharing their stories with each other and making
connections for future collaboration. I believe this enthusiasm can be
translated into action. The report stated that health partnerships are often
‘under the radar’, but with this report, the opportunity has presented itself
to put health partnerships on the radar and to make volunteering the norm, not
the exception. Now it’s up to health partnerships to pave the way by sharing
their stories with the wider community.
If you are reading this and have been involved in a health
partnership, there are a few things you can do to contribute to the movement
for creating an enabling environment for people who want to volunteer through
health partnerships: write, share, and tell. Find out more ways to get involved with THET’s advocacy toolkit for health partnerships.
Join the movement. Support Volunteers. Act Now.
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