Goran, tell us about your day job, site you’re based and department that you work in.
I am a speciality doctor in acute and general medicine based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I am preparing to submit by CESR application to function at a consultant level in general medicine.
Tell us what area of global health you are involved in, partnership country, organisation/affiliation.
I have been involved in the following partnership activities:
Globally: Emerging Voices for Global Health
Colombia: Working on the HSR2022 in Bogota
United Arab Emirates: Organising the EV2020 venture of the EV4GH
Iraq: Providing Oxygen cylinders and security measures at a district general hospital to face the COVID-19 crisis.
Kurdistan (in partnership with THET): Providing COVID-19 related awareness materials in Kurdish)
Syria: Organising a medical assistance mission to the North East Syria
Goran, have you been to your partnership countries? Tell us about them. Or do you organise GH work from afar?
Most of the work I am organising is from afar. However, I have been recently to Dubai for global health training for the emerging voices for global health in November 2021. I experienced firsthand how diverse, multicultural interconnected and interdependent our world is. But also experienced the consequences of urbanisation and carbon-based economies for the health of the planet and people.
How did you first get involved in GH work?
I started to get involved initially when I did my masters in public health in the United States. I participated in 2010 in the Global Symposium on Health Systems and Policy research. The networking associated with that made me passionate about global health.
What 3 skills do you consider important in carrying out global health work?
- Networking
- Active listening
- Compassion
What 3 items do you always pack on trips and why?
- A book/video/podcast about the country
- Appropriate charging adaptors for my computer/phone
- Lots of positive vibe and plans to have fun
What benefits do you feel you have gained from being involved in GH work?
- Learning about different cultures
- Meeting new people
- Gaining more experience
What benefits do you feel NHS patients and colleagues have gained from your involvement in GH work?
- Being more able to understand the perspective of patients who are coming from other countries.
- Providing insight into the challenges and opportunities that exist at the global stage
- Signposting to opportunities for volunteering and activism in global health
Goran, tell us a memory from your Global Health work or expedition that will stay with you forever.
Talking to a taxi driver in Dubai taught more about challenges to access to healthcare than a lecture about the same topic the same day
Finally, what advice would you give an NHS colleague who was thinking of becoming involved in GH work?
Do it, it is lots of fun and it is guaranteed you will be a better person and professional each time you volunteer in global health.
