Notes
The U.S. National Library of Medicine MeSH heading defines medical missions as “travel by a group of physicians to a foreign country for the purpose of making a special study or of undertaking a special study of short term duration; not to be confused with missions and missionaries which covers permanent medical establishments and personnel maintained by religious organizations” (National Library of Medicine 2011).
There are thousands of NGOs that provide essential services in resource poor countries. Significant resources are spent annually to fund these organizations and to carry out their work. It is important that these resources are used as effectively and efficiently as possible to meet as many needs as possible. While many NGOs have been very successful in providing services, there have been some that have failed local communities in various ways. Critical examination of the work of different NGOs can improve the services they deliver and ensure that more needs are met.
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Langowski, M.K., Iltis, A.S. Global Health Needs and the Short-Term Medical Volunteer: Ethical Considerations. HEC Forum 23, 71–78 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-011-9158-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-011-9158-5