Why start an international non-profit for naturopathic physicians and acupuncturist?
Volunteering has been a long established tradition within all medical professions, however those outsde of the traditional allopathic setting do not have the same opportunities to volunteer internationally. In its first year of operation, NDI doctors donated over 700 days of service delivering free-medical services and to date we have seen nearly 2000 patients. We are setting a precedent that shows naturopathic medicine is viable in a third world setting and that we as naturopathic physicians have a lot to contribute to the global public health crisis that is occurring. Q: Why establish long term clinics – why not just run short medical volunteer trips? A: We are not medical tourists. We place doctors for long-term rotations – terms of one year – at our clinical sites. One year a minimum term to achieve cultural competence and a relationship of trust in the community. By developing this trust and stability with our long-term volunteer placements, we are able to bring short-term medical
