We moved our young family to Eastern Europe in 1993. The medical services available were totally inadequate compared to our western standards; local doctors had only “vintage” equipment and facilities, not updated for 50 years! Many doctors believed in “old wives tales” as causes of illnesses. This did not inspire confidence in the care we received, for us and our 5 kids, aged one to nine. Thankfully, we had the privilege of having several doctor friends in the U.S. who told us, “Please call me if you have any kind of question or need!” Most people serving overseas do not have that privilege. We did call occasionally to seek their advice. However, we were sometimes hesitant to call because we did not want to overstep or bother them. It would have been reassuring, helpful, and freeing to have a service like Global Medical Support Network available to advise and guide us regarding medical needs.
Doug M
I remember the first time that I needed medical care while living in a developing nation. We had only been there a short period of time and I had a doctor telling me the only option was surgical intervention. I felt overwhelmed and alone, wishing i had someone to reach out to who was knowledgeable and could help me understand treatment options. Several years later, one of my teenager had a medical issue and i remember how comforting it was to be able to talk with a US trained and Board Certified Emergency Physician. His guidance and treatment recommendations helped us to sort out the options and gave us the peace of mind that we did not need to evacuate our son.
Pat P
I grateful for this help-line. One evening I was trying to help a family navigate a medical issue that was a potential emergency. Under the circumstances, going to the hospital would have been very disruptive, but we were preparing to do so. I decided to text a US doctor to get his opinion and got a call back within couple of minutes. After reviewing the problem and talking us through the scenarios it was pretty clear that the ER visit wasn't warranted. Instead, we could monitor the situation at home and make arrangements for a clinic visit the next day if the condition didn't improve. This was a much less disruptive course of action. After the phone conversation, we stayed in touch with the doctor via Whatsapp for a couple of hours that night and in the morning to make sure we are still on the right course. The support we got from the doctor allowed the family to get some rest during difficult time and get further treatment on a less urgent basis, which was a blessing.