Medical Placement Volunteer Program (Maldives)

As in any country, our community depends on receiving high quality healthcare. However, living on a remote island in a developing country means we are faced with numerous challenges. Volunteers are placed within Lhaviyani Atoll Hospital, and get hands on experience in a variety of departments, shadowing our local doctors and nurses. Interacting with our community members, gaining hands on practical skills, and experiencing the unique challenges our medical teams face, provides volunteers with a life changing experience that will not only enhance your professional career, but change your appreciation for medicine.

- Work at our local hospital, the Lhaviyani Atoll Hospital, shadowing a doctor/nurse to gain international medical experience.
- As a volunteer you have the option of gaining training in a variety of specialisms including: dentistry, nursing, midwifery, paediatricians, anaesthetists and GP training.
- Immerse yourself into the community and accompany a doctor on ‘home visits’.
- Gain valuable practical skills to enhance your medical career and broaden your perspective.
- It’s not all work and no play, weekly excursions including snorkelling, visiting uninhabited islands, camping, BBQs etc. offer some much needed rest time.
- Due to our other volunteer programmes, medical volunteers have the unique option of also helping out in our Marine Centre with our rescued and injured turtles!

Lhaviyani Atoll Hospital is based in Naifaru, the largest city in the atoll, with a population of over 6000. The hospital has a general ward, as well as a maternity ward servicing over 11 000 local people from all around the Lhaviyani Atoll. With modern facilities and qualified professionals on hand to teach you valuable skills, this is a must for all students seeking to gain international experience during their degree, or for qualified professionals looking to enhance their career and gain a different perspective. Volunteers will gain the chance to explore the local culture as they assist GP’s with house-visits learning about cultural attitudes to medicine. We work closely with the hospital to ensure volunteers gain the most from their experience, so whether you seek; dentistry experience, nursing, midwifery, pediatrics, anesthetists, or GP training, we will work to ensure you get the most out of your experience! Our volunteers usually work in the hospital 6 days a week, from 9am till 1pm, however, this is very flexible, and can be decreased or increased as requested by the volunteer on as case by case basis.

Being a small island community we need volunteers with international experience and training to come into our hospital and help improve patient care. In addition, you will work with locals to conduct events promoting public health awareness in the Maldives. Your international experience and outlook is vital for rethinking and improving public health across the Atoll. You have the chance to really change our community for the better.