By Dr Giselle Roberts
It’s not suited to the faint-hearted or those looking for easy, one-size-fits-all solutions. It is exhilarating, frustrating, humbling, confronting and joyous. It requires bucket loads of selfless dedication and equal measures of energy. And speech pathologist and audiologist, Associate Professor Chyrisse Heine, embraces every life-changing moment of it.
Each year, not-for-profit organisation, Cambodia Vision, gathers its volunteers and provides people living in regional and remote communities in Cambodia with the opportunity to receive free vision, hearing, speech and general healthcare services. In October, Heine took a team – including four Speech Pathology students, two Orthoptics students, and two Professional and Administrative staff members – to the province of Svay Rieng to work at the local hospital. It was her fourth mission.
“We joined 120 other Cambodia Vision volunteers,” Heine explained. “There were optometrists and orthoptists who tested eyesight, and prescribed and made glasses. There were anesthetists, nurses and ophthalmologists who conducted cataract, pterigyium and other eye surgeries; GPs who provided general healthcare and evaluated patients for surgery; pharmacists who dispensed medication; my speech and hearing team, and dozens of organisers, cooks and support staff who managed registration and the crowds.”
Heine and her team turned an empty hospital room into a fully working clinic, with equipment and supplies transported from Australia. And then they went to work, for seven days, from 6.30am to 5.30pm, in oppressive humidity, seeing patient after patient, and completing a staggering 861 assessments and therapies. “There are always patients and stories that remain with you,” said Heine. “Last year I treated a young man who had been deaf since birth. This year he returned to the mission for further assistance. A young girl, also deaf since birth, can now respond to her grandmother calling her. And we helped another women to say the “m”, “p” and “I” sounds. She was thrilled to say “Pa” (Dad) in Khmer.”
It is impossible not be changed by the experience, said Jan Morgan, Technical Officer in the School of Molecular Sciences. “Healthcare in Australia is something we tend to take for granted,” she said. “Working with Cambodia Vision made me realise how fortunate we are. Many of the people we saw travelled long distances and sat patiently waiting in a queue for hours just to see a GP or have their eyes and ears examined.” “It was one of the most heartfelt and rewarding experiences of my life,” added Sandy Bowers, Administrative Officer in the School of Psychology and Public Health.
The students who took part in the mission were funded by Chyrisse Heine’s Australian Government New Colombo Plan grant. Danika Corless, who is completing a Bachelor of Applied Science/Master of Orthoptics, worked in the eye clinic, assisting with refraction and taking surgical measurements. Corless said the mobility experience was transformative, allowing her to see “real-world practice outside a typical clinical set-up.” It also exposed her to new technology and interdisciplinary teamwork. “I can confidently say I will be a better orthoptist after graduation thanks to this experience,” she added.
“Everyone who participates in the mission learns about working in impoverished communities that lack access to basic health care,” said Heine. “Volunteers also learn a lot about themselves, in particular, how resilient they really are. Each night we reflected on the day’s work and thought hard about our shortcomings and our achievements. It was an enriching experience for us all.”
