Dr. Sameer Jejurikar on Importance of International Medical Aid

Each year, Dr. Sameer Jejurikar travels to Bangladesh with New Jersey-based organization Smile Bangladesh, which brings medical assistance to children and adults with untreated cleft lips and cleft palettes. Honored to be able to provide the skills and expertise necessary to help these individuals improve their lives, self-esteem, and overall health, Dr. Sameer Jejurikar strongly believes in the importance of providing international medical aid to those without the privilege, finances, or resources to obtain it.

For Dr. Sameer Jejurikar, being able to travel the world and helping those less fortunate than himself is one of the highlights of his career as a plastic surgeon. He offers a few reasons as to why other medical professionals might want to consider getting involved in international outreach efforts. 

 First of all, Dr. Sameer Jejurikar highlights the fact that many impoverished nations simply don’t have the resources to be able to train enough medical specialists to cover the needs of their populations. According to Smile Bangladesh, with whom Sameer Jejurikar has worked extensively, there are only 30 individuals in the country with the expertise to operate on children with cleft lips and palettes. That means that each doctor has an unmanageable caseload. Doctors like Sameer Jejurikar who go in and assist can therefore help more people obtain services.

Secondly, even if the specialists exist, many individuals don’t have the financial resources to access them. Providing pro bono assistance in nations where only the very wealthy can afford healthcare is, in Sameer Jejurikar’s eyes, a necessity and a high calling.

Finally, Dr. Sameer Jejurikar believes that it is a positive and humbling experience for the traveling doctors themselves. Doctors who work internationally have the opportunity to gain new cultural competence, and to learn to fully appreciate the resources that they have in their home countries.