Ecuador - Trip Report
Misahualli, Ecuador
November 2007
By: Anil Purohit (M.D.)
Misahualli Medical Volunteering Info
From Quito there is only one bus that goes directly to Misahualli. This bus leaves from the main bus terminal in Quito at 11:30 AM. The name of the company is Amazonas. The main bus terminal is a 30 minute taxi ride from the international airport. You will expect to pay about 10 dollars for the taxi ride.
If you arrive after 11:30 AM like I did, you still should take the taxi to the main bus terminal. From here you take a bus to Tena. Go inside the bus terminal. There will be a bunch of stalls with bus companies pleading you to buy a ticket from them. Some of them will yell out Tena. Find out which buses go to Tena and which times they leave. Some leave earlier than others but as a general rule they leave hourly from quito
The bus ride to Tena is 6.5 hours. In Tena you will arrive at the main bus terminal. From here you have 2 options to get to Misahualli which is 23 km away from Tena 1)Take a Taxi straight to Misahualli. This should cost you no more than 10 dollars 2)Take a Taxi to the Terminal Terrestre and take a collective bus aka chicken bus to Misahualli. The name of the bus company is Jumandy. Bus times are as follows: 6AM, 7:30, 9:00 10:30. 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00PM
The collective buses get pretty crowded so here is my recommendation. Go to the Jumandy office located right next to the bus stand and purchase a ticket. The ticket will cost you 60 cents. This way you have a reserved seat on the bus and don´t have to stand. You can buy a spot on the bus however and don´t need a ticket, but trust me.. it´s not fun to stand for 45 minutes.
3)The bus ends at the main park in Misahualli. The Hostel you will be staying at is Hostel Shaw located right on the park.
Information regarding Hostel Shaw
Hostel Shaw is owned by an Ecuadorian couple, Margarita and Pepe. Margarita basically runs the hostel and Pepe is in charge of his own tourism and adventure excursion company. During your stay in Misahualli, you will be staying in a room at the hostel. The hostel room is very comfortable. Has a balcony, ceiling fan, hot water and towels provided. In addition, you will be sharing all your meals with Pepe and Margarita´s family. They have 2 kids and 2 dogs. This is a great immersion experience in that you will learn a lot about Ecuadorian hospitality and will learn about lifestyle. In addition you will have a chance to greatly improve your Spanish. Pepe is fluent in English however if you have urgent needs you need to convey to him. The cost of the hostel including meals is 70 dollars a week, payable on the first day. In addition, please let margarita know of any dietary issues so she can plan accordingly. The hostel is located just across the health center.
At the hostel you will learn a great deal about other volunteer opportunities and there will be opportunities to go on excursions in the Amazon with Pepe and his company. Margarita and Pepe are very active in the community and various other projects you may be able to get involved with for example might be volunteering at the butterfly garden.
It is important for people to realize that there is no internet or capabilities to make international phone calls in Misahualli. You have to take the 45 min bus ride back to Tena where internet cafe´s are ample.
Information regarding the health center.
The name of the health center is Misahualli is called the Subcentro de Salud. It´s a branch of the Center de Salud in Tena and is completely government run. Two doctors and two dentists regularly staff the hospital as well as ancillary support with at least 2 nurses always present. This is a true rural medicine experience as there are no medical technologies to assist you. At the medical clinic there is a labor and delivery room, a nurses work area, a front desk reception area and 3 patient rooms plus the dental room. For medical students and health professionals you will be working with one or both of the doctors that staff the clinic. The doctor I worked with was 26 years old and a fresh graduate from medical school in Cuba. He was basically in charge of treating most of the patients that walked in the door at the clinic. For the most part the doctors and staff members are very friendly and will give u the opportunity to see patients on your own if you take the initiative. Keep in mind there are no medical technologies so diagnosis and treatment is based soley on clinical judgement. There are no laboratories, tests, medical procedures, equipment that will assist you. Also, it was evident that medical decision making at the clinic varies greatly from what is taught in the western world. Although you may be conflicted at times and ambivalent at the diagnosises being dispensed, you have to keep in mind that we are entering their community and thus have to keep an open mind. To an extent however, it was eye opening on how many times antibiotics were prescribed and also the fact that for each symptom the patient presented with a medicine was dispenced. The patients you will be seeing are 99 percent pediatrics out of which the vast majority are babies. This is a true pediatrics rotation. Sundays are the busiest treating about 40 patients in a span of 3 to 4 hours.
Day schedule
You will arrive at work at 8 in the morning every day
Contact Information
The hostal is located within walking distance fo the health center and they also know the clinic director. In addition, they´ve had a few volunteers in the past stay at the hostel so they are familiar with the routine. Apply now
How Do I Apply?
Follow this 3 step process:
1. Create an account and then login. Next Fill out the Online Application.
2. Next, Print/Fill out the Paper form (PDF or DOC) and mail it to us with any supporting documents.
3. Upon receipt of your materials, we will process your application, obtain necessary work permits and deploy you to your volunteering site. Filling out the volunteering form is not a guarantee of placement, but we do try to accommodate as many volunteers as possible during the times you request. Please remember you will have to pay your own visa, temporary licensure or other governmental fees necessary. In the mean time, please gain the latest recommended immunizations
US Citizens: Follow CDC Guidelines | UK Citizens: Follow NHS Guidelines | Other Citizens: Follow Local Guidelines
Misahualli, Ecuador
November 2007
By: Anil Purohit (M.D.)
Misahualli Medical Volunteering Info
From Quito there is only one bus that goes directly to Misahualli. This bus leaves from the main bus terminal in Quito at 11:30 AM. The name of the company is Amazonas. The main bus terminal is a 30 minute taxi ride from the international airport. You will expect to pay about 10 dollars for the taxi ride.
If you arrive after 11:30 AM like I did, you still should take the taxi to the main bus terminal. From here you take a bus to Tena. Go inside the bus terminal. There will be a bunch of stalls with bus companies pleading you to buy a ticket from them. Some of them will yell out Tena. Find out which buses go to Tena and which times they leave. Some leave earlier than others but as a general rule they leave hourly from quito
The bus ride to Tena is 6.5 hours. In Tena you will arrive at the main bus terminal. From here you have 2 options to get to Misahualli which is 23 km away from Tena 1)Take a Taxi straight to Misahualli. This should cost you no more than 10 dollars 2)Take a Taxi to the Terminal Terrestre and take a collective bus aka chicken bus to Misahualli. The name of the bus company is Jumandy. Bus times are as follows: 6AM, 7:30, 9:00 10:30. 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00PM
The collective buses get pretty crowded so here is my recommendation. Go to the Jumandy office located right next to the bus stand and purchase a ticket. The ticket will cost you 60 cents. This way you have a reserved seat on the bus and don´t have to stand. You can buy a spot on the bus however and don´t need a ticket, but trust me.. it´s not fun to stand for 45 minutes.
3)The bus ends at the main park in Misahualli. The Hostel you will be staying at is Hostel Shaw located right on the park.
Information regarding Hostel Shaw
Hostel Shaw is owned by an Ecuadorian couple, Margarita and Pepe. Margarita basically runs the hostel and Pepe is in charge of his own tourism and adventure excursion company. During your stay in Misahualli, you will be staying in a room at the hostel. The hostel room is very comfortable. Has a balcony, ceiling fan, hot water and towels provided. In addition, you will be sharing all your meals with Pepe and Margarita´s family. They have 2 kids and 2 dogs. This is a great immersion experience in that you will learn a lot about Ecuadorian hospitality and will learn about lifestyle. In addition you will have a chance to greatly improve your Spanish. Pepe is fluent in English however if you have urgent needs you need to convey to him. The cost of the hostel including meals is 70 dollars a week, payable on the first day. In addition, please let margarita know of any dietary issues so she can plan accordingly. The hostel is located just across the health center.
At the hostel you will learn a great deal about other volunteer opportunities and there will be opportunities to go on excursions in the Amazon with Pepe and his company. Margarita and Pepe are very active in the community and various other projects you may be able to get involved with for example might be volunteering at the butterfly garden.
It is important for people to realize that there is no internet or capabilities to make international phone calls in Misahualli. You have to take the 45 min bus ride back to Tena where internet cafe´s are ample.
Information regarding the health center.
The name of the health center is Misahualli is called the Subcentro de Salud. It´s a branch of the Center de Salud in Tena and is completely government run. Two doctors and two dentists regularly staff the hospital as well as ancillary support with at least 2 nurses always present. This is a true rural medicine experience as there are no medical technologies to assist you. At the medical clinic there is a labor and delivery room, a nurses work area, a front desk reception area and 3 patient rooms plus the dental room. For medical students and health professionals you will be working with one or both of the doctors that staff the clinic. The doctor I worked with was 26 years old and a fresh graduate from medical school in Cuba. He was basically in charge of treating most of the patients that walked in the door at the clinic. For the most part the doctors and staff members are very friendly and will give u the opportunity to see patients on your own if you take the initiative. Keep in mind there are no medical technologies so diagnosis and treatment is based soley on clinical judgement. There are no laboratories, tests, medical procedures, equipment that will assist you. Also, it was evident that medical decision making at the clinic varies greatly from what is taught in the western world. Although you may be conflicted at times and ambivalent at the diagnosises being dispensed, you have to keep in mind that we are entering their community and thus have to keep an open mind. To an extent however, it was eye opening on how many times antibiotics were prescribed and also the fact that for each symptom the patient presented with a medicine was dispenced. The patients you will be seeing are 99 percent pediatrics out of which the vast majority are babies. This is a true pediatrics rotation. Sundays are the busiest treating about 40 patients in a span of 3 to 4 hours.
Day schedule
You will arrive at work at 8 in the morning every day
Contact Information
The hostal is located within walking distance fo the health center and they also know the clinic director. In addition, they´ve had a few volunteers in the past stay at the hostel so they are familiar with the routine. Apply now
How Do I Apply?
Follow this 3 step process:
1. Create an account and then login. Next Fill out the Online Application.
2. Next, Print/Fill out the Paper form (PDF or DOC) and mail it to us with any supporting documents.
3. Upon receipt of your materials, we will process your application, obtain necessary work permits and deploy you to your volunteering site. Filling out the volunteering form is not a guarantee of placement, but we do try to accommodate as many volunteers as possible during the times you request. Please remember you will have to pay your own visa, temporary licensure or other governmental fees necessary. In the mean time, please gain the latest recommended immunizations
US Citizens: Follow CDC Guidelines | UK Citizens: Follow NHS Guidelines | Other Citizens: Follow Local Guidelines
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