This summer I was able to travel down to Bocas Del Toro, Panama to work with a medical mission group called Floating Doctors. Floating Doctors was started 8 years ago with the purpose of delivering healthcare to indigenous communities that lacked access to hospitals, doctors, and healthcare in general. They are based out of an island in Panama and each clinic day we would take boats to the Ngobe communities. The Ngobe are the native Panamanians, many who live without running water or electricity. There are full-time volunteer doctors, nurses, and paramedics who work with the program and I was able to work as a translator for these doctors. I was exposed to healthcare in its most basic form this summer. I was able to see doctors treating patients hands on, without any politics, insurance conflicts or discrimination. These experiences have motivated me even more to chase my dream of one day attending medical school and becoming a physician.
