Angelova, for example, says the doctor-patient relationship in Brazil is much more intimate, much closer. Touch is important, and is an important part of the healing process, she says, pointing out that the doctor-patient relationship in Canada seems remote and distant by comparison. She plans to model her own behaviour on the South-American example. It certainly made me think carefully about the wisdom of making assumptions about what they need. Angelova was impressed with the warmth and joy in the Brazilians' lives despite the absence of material wealth.
Resources are also in short supply in Uganda.
And if you provide towels, they won't come back or they won't get washed. Clinical experiences can also be frustrating, acknowledges Dr. Kipp. Often times, people are treated only to return to their local communities where they once again contract disease. Sick children routinely share beds, Dr. Grundy points out, and one may have pneumonia and another malaria. Improvements in health care in the developing world are more often measured in generations than in months.