Chiron – HelMSIC Greece

Name of the activity: Chiron

Country/NMO: HelMSIC Greece

Program: Emergency, Disaster Risk & Humanitarian Action

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Volunteering Internship

Focus area: Improvement of humanitarian initiatives

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

General description:

Chiron is a project developed by HelMSIC in collaboration with Medicins du Monde – Greece, aiming at providing medical students with the opportunity to get involved in humanitarian medicine in urban context. After volunteering at the polyclinics of MdM and having participated in educational sessions on vulnerability and access to healthcare, participants get familiar with the situation regarding the Right to Health of vulnerable groups and the overall context of humanitarian aid in urban areas.

Problem statement:

According to WHO, more than 30% of the world’s population cannot access essential health services, while inequalities continue to be a fundamental challenge for guaranteeing the right to health for every individual and community. As explained in the IFMSA Policy Document on “Ensuring Access to Medical and Humanitarian Aid”, medical students, as future health care providers, should play an important role in humanitarian action, particularly with regards to medical and humanitarian aid.

Target groups:

• Medical students

Beneficiaries:

• Migrants
• Refugees
• Homeless people

Objectives:

1. Education of medical students in the right to health of vulnerable groups. By the end of the project, participants should be able:
   1. To understand the relevance of peace as a determinant of health
   2. To explain the connection between vulnerability and access to Health
2. Familiarisation with the context of humanitarian healthcare to vulnerable groups. By the end of the project, participants should be able:
   1. To implement a human rights based approach during communication with patients
   2. To identify the responsibility of health professionals in advocacy for the rights and health of vulnerable groups

Indicators of Success:

Specific Indicators

Positive evaluation with a grade of 4-5 in a scale with a maximum of 5 by 70% of participants, regarding the:

1.1 Understanding of the relevance of peace as a determinant of health

1.2 Explanation of the connection between vulnerability and access to Health

2.1 Implementation of a human rights based approach during communication with patients

2.2 Identification of the responsibility of health professionals in advocacy for the rights and health of vulnerable groups

General Indicators

Certification of 8 participants per Local Committee that fulfil the criteria of completion of the project

Participation of 4 participants per Local Committee in the street actions

Positive evaluation with a grade of 4-5 in a scale with a maximum of 5, regarding the:

– Project overall by the 80% of participants

– Seminar by 70% of the participants

– Volunteering by 80% of the participants

Methodology:

The project is implemented in collaboration with Medicins du Monde – Greece one time in each academic semester, and consists of two parts.

The first part is an educational seminar for the preparation of medical students for the volunteering in the polyclinics. MdM personel and HelMSIC trainers are involved in the facilitation of presentations and session regarding topics like vulnerability, access to health, peace, universal health coverage etc.

The second part is the volunteering internship of medical students in the polyclinics and the street actions of MdM. The role of the participants is basically subsidiary and includes mainly supporting the head of the relevant clinic. Also, participants choose based on their preferences and availability the schedule of their internship in the clinics.

Plans for evaluation:

The project will be evaluated via questionnaires that are shared to the participants after the completion of the first and second part of the project. Also, part of the questionnaire, as well as the forms shared to Medicins du Monde, the Organising Committees, and HelMSIC trainers, are focused on the organisational elements, aiming at collecting data for their improval.

External collaborations:

The project is an ongoing from 2011 collaboration with Medicins du Monde – Greece, the national delegation of the well know international non-governmental organization. They provide their expertise for the thematic coverage of the seminar, as well as they make their polyclinics in Athens and Thessaloniki available to medical students for volunteering.