Nadil Munasinghe

I wanted to undertake an overseas medical placement to experience healthcare in a low-resource setting. I wanted to see how patients were prioritised and conditions managed.

I chose The Philippines in particular because I have lots of Filipino friends, and I wanted to know what their country was like. Some of the things I saw in the hospital were really intense, and I saw things I had only seen in textbooks. It really gave me perspective and more empathy.

One weekend, my housemates and I travelled to Boracay. It had incredible beaches, and I loved watching the sunset. It’s a great trip on your first weekend as it requires very little planning ahead of time.

We travelled to Cebu on another weekend. We stayed in Moalboal and went swimming with whale sharks and canyoneering. We also went to El Nido, which is more of a tourist destination, but it was beautiful, and we went snorkelling there.

There are so many benefits to undertaking a placement like this. The big one for me was gaining insight into how local doctors managed situations when they were faced with a lack of medication, equipment and beds.

One of the main highlights of my trip was the social aspect. Everyone was social, and I made friendships that will last a long time. I’ll fondly look back on my memories of the experience.

If you’re thinking about doing a placement like this with Work the World, do it. You’ll make memories that will last a lifetime — I know that I’ll fondly look back on my own memories of the experience.

The organisation was so supportive, and I got to see and experience things that are far less common back at home.