The experiences of Hungarian doctors in Malawi

The Hungarian doctors returned to Hungary not long ago from the XII. Medical Mission, which happened with the co-operation of AHU (African Hungarian Union). Kozepsuli.hu writes about what this trip meant to the doctors.

Anna Jakkel is a doctor from Kecskemét. She helped a lot in giving delicious food to the locals at the Hungarian Day organised in Blantyre. She also played a role in medical attendance.

“As doctors, we found a never ending list of things to do there. We sometimes experienced more than a hundred people waiting to be attended to. This required a lot of energy but I think that if someone has ambitions to help people in need, then that person can undertake a journey like this” said Anna to the presenter of Inforádió’s Világszám.

Edina Pálinkás, doctor, also thinks that she returned home as a richer person because she learned so many things.

“This journey meant a lot to me. This was my first Medical Mission and my first time in Black Africa. I think that I learned a lot as a human being and also as a doctor. I got much more than I gave. The people were very kind, they welcomed us with love. I am planning on returning to Black Africa, even to Malawi. This was a very positive experience for me” said Edina.

It was the same with Dorottya Horváth, the coordinator of the Hungarian Trade and Cultural Centre (HTCC).

“I also liked this country. The people are very kind, public safety is good, the landscape is beautiful, and you can see special animals so I can only suggest visiting Malawi” said Dorottya.

Besides the many experiences and impressions, Sarolta Szijjártó, the Goodwill Ambassador of AHU also told how different the life is in Malawi and that Europeans should value much more what they have.

“I think that after a journey like this, everybody re-evaluates his/her life. At home, a lot of times we fash ourselves about small things and now I think why do we do that? People here are happy to be alive, to have something to eat, that the majority of their children grow up, that the sun rises and goes down and that rain waters their plants. At home, in our accelerated world, we don’t even notice things like how lucky we are to have been born in Europe, to have electricity and to be able to go shopping. In Europe and Hungary people have a chance for a better life, to go to the hospital to recuperate and a chance to move forward by studying. Most of the young people here don’t have a chance to move forward. So this is something that made me think, and every time when we were travelling for hours on dirt roads to places where people actually haven’t seen white men, this was what I was thinking about, that many people should re-evaluate his/her life and be thankful for they have…” added Sarolta.

Csaba Szeremley, the director of HTCC, has been living in Malawi for the past couple of years.

“There is a type of duality here that you see every day, on every level. There is the upper ten thousand, which actually means ten thousand very rich men. They might even have a better life than many people in Europe. On the other hand, poverty is huge and crucial. So some of the products are very cheap, but since there are no local industries many products have to be imported and those are expensive.” responded Csaba to the question about what the strangest thing in Malawi is.

“I would call Malawi the country of opportunities and would encourage any entrepreneurs and adventurous tourists to visit Malawi or get in touch with us directly. Also, HTCC is very helpful with any type of questions” added Csaba.

Translated by Alexandra Béni

Source: http://kozepsuli.hu/