A journey of care and collaboration: Gloucestershire doctors support healthcare camp in Benin

The trip was delivered in partnership with VIA-ME Association, a community-focused charity based in Benin which works to improve health, education and living conditions for vulnerable communities through volunteer action and local partnerships.

Before reflecting on the experience, the team wish to thank everyone who generously supported the project through donations to the JustGiving page set up ahead of the trip. The funds helped provide treatment for many of the patients seen during the week, from simple courses of antibiotics to equipment needed for surgery.

About Benin

Benin, a small West African nation bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger, has made significant progress in healthcare access in recent years. However, shortages of funding, trained staff, equipment and infrastructure continue to limit services, particularly in rural areas.

The healthcare camp

Working alongside local clinicians and volunteers, the Gloucestershire team joined a wider multinational group led by a Beninese surgeon to deliver free community-based healthcare in the rural town of Sè.

The camp included general medical, surgical and dental consultations, minor surgery including cleft lip and palate procedures and a programme of teaching and training for local healthcare professionals. Training sessions covered essential surgical skills, pain management, HIV, resuscitation, pregnancy care and wound care, alongside lifestyle coaching sessions for patients.

The team hopes this will be the first of many future collaborations with VIA-ME, helping to build sustainable healthcare education and support for communities across Benin.

Reflections from the team

For Dr Richard Makins, Consultant Gastroenterologist, the trip was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition to take part in humanitarian work.

While overseas volunteering often requires long periods away, making it difficult to balance with NHS commitments, the opportunity to work with an established local charity over a shorter period made the experience possible.

During the week, Dr Makins saw around 100 patients with a broad range of medical conditions including uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, abdominal pain, liver disease and skin conditions, as well as cases of malaria and Buruli ulcer.

Reflecting on the experience, Richard said: “The whole experience was incredibly rewarding. I hope we were able to provide useful and much-needed care to the local population and the feedback was very positive.”

Dr Helen Makins, Consultant in Pain Medicine, had developed strong links with VIA-ME through previous teaching work in West Africa and played a key role in shaping the camp’s educational programme.

Drawing on her expertise in lifestyle medicine and health coaching, she worked with Beninese clinicians to develop group consultation sessions focused on practical lifestyle changes that could improve long-term health outcomes.

The sessions addressed issues including food hygiene, alcohol intake, medication use and the relationship between lifestyle and health. Delivered twice daily in the clinic waiting area, they were supported by written and pictorial resources designed to accommodate varying literacy levels.

Around 500 patients took part over the course of the week. Feedback showed participants valued the sessions highly, with many describing them as enlightening and some reporting they gained enough practical advice to address their concerns without needing further clinical review.

“It was rewarding to see that a simple lifestyle medicine initiative was welcomed so warmly by such a diverse population,” Helen said. “The local volunteers are now planning to continue the programme within their own communities.”

For Dr Emma Le Roux, GP and Specialty Doctor in Dermatology, the trip was her first experience of practising medicine in a developing country.

Working alongside a local Beninese doctor with support from community nurses translating indigenous dialects, Dr Le Roux consulted with around 200 patients over five days.

Her specialist interest in dermatology meant she saw a large number of skin conditions, ranging from infections and wounds to chronic conditions such as eczema, vitiligo and albinism. She also encountered the widespread practice of skin bleaching and diagnosed several patients requiring surgical referral for subcutaneous lumps.

As the only GP in the team, Dr Le Roux also assessed children with complex presentations, women with gynaecological concerns and patients with long-term conditions who were referred into the lifestyle coaching sessions.

She said the experience highlighted both the challenges and rewards of delivering care in a very different cultural context, commenting, “We had the opportunity to refine the clinic as the week progressed, improving communication and coordination across the team. It was an incredible learning experience and one I’ll take back to my work in the UK.”

Dr Kate Millington, Respiratory Consultant, joined the trip after responding to a global health email circulated via the Trust.

The trip allowed Kate to pursue her longstanding interests in global medicine and in working and travelling in different countries. Working alongside a Beninese public health doctor and local community clinicians, she encountered a wide range of acute and chronic conditions and quickly recognised the importance of education around long-term disease management.

Kate believes the lifestyle medicine sessions offered some of the greatest long-term benefits to the community. She found the experience of working with the UK doctors and the wider VIA-ME team both inspiring and rewarding, gaining valuable insights while witnessing first-hand the organisation's commitment to improving healthcare access. The generosity, kindness and dedication shown throughout the programme left a lasting impression.

“It was fantastic to see the volunteers flourish during the camp,” Dr Millington said. “I learnt so much from their generosity and kindness.”

For Dr Udaya Chandar Udayaradjou, SAS Doctor in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, the trip represented the realisation of a long-held ambition to provide voluntary medical care overseas.

After joining the team through one of Dr Makins’ global health emails, he travelled to Benin not knowing quite what to expect.

He spent much of the week in theatre, anaesthetising children aged between six months and three years for cleft palate surgery. Despite limited monitoring resources, the team successfully supported seven procedures.

He also delivered bystander CPR training to local doctors in French using practical manikins, extending teaching he has delivered to communities across Gloucestershire.

“This made me especially proud,” he said. “To share those skills in Benin was deeply rewarding.”

Mr Aloysius Okeke, Consultant Urologist, reflected on the wider significance of the trip and the role the Trust played in making it possible.

He highlighted previous initiatives bringing together doctors across the county with an interest in medical missions, as well as the donated surgical and anaesthetic materials provided by local hospitals and GP practices.

The team hopes this will be the first of many future collaborations with VIA-ME, helping to build sustainable healthcare education and support for communities across Benin.