The work in Macedonia is almost exclusively the sharing of medical expertise with colleagues, residents and medical students located around the country. Very rarely are we permitted to actively participate in direct patient care.

1] Collaboration with Attending Physicians

Mother Teresa Public Hospital

Stip and Tetovo Public Hospitals

Remedica Hospital

Mother Theresa- this is the country’s tertiary care site located in the capital city of Skopje. Volunteers at Mother Theresa will be working alongside attending physicians and residents chiefly in an inpatient setting. Specialists in Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, Emergency Medicine, Pain Medicine, Peds Subspecialties and Hematology/Oncology are particularly welcome. In addition to one on one teaching, formal lectures and workshops will also be part of your experience.

See below for information regarding Stip, Tetovo and Remedica.

2] Resident and Student Education

Skopje - site of the largest medical university with chances to teach during hospital rounds, lectures and workshops.

Stip - participate in both attending collaboration and student teaching at this predominantly Macedonian Orthodox medical school and hospital about 1.5 hours from the capitol. We also instruct ERASMUS medical exchange students at this college.

Tetovo - a similar experience like that described in Stip. This bustling city is located ~45 minutes from Skopje and is home to the country’s youngest medical college which is attended and administered by people of Albanian Muslim heritage. The majority of students hail from Kosovo which is just across the border.

Bitola- this is also a potential new alliance with a public hospital ~3 hours south of the capitol. The director there has invited our physicians to train latter year med students and new graduates in an inpatient rounding model, experience sorely lacking in a young physician’s training.

3] Remedica

This is a unique opportunity at a private hospital in Skopje. Formerly, the project was limited to collaboration with public health institutions only. However, our educators may now teach in the private setting as well. The physicians at Remedica are looking to meet colleagues specializing in ENT and orthopedic surgery as well as Fertility Medicine. Student teaching can also take place at this institution.

4] Tirana Albania

This is an exciting new partnership with Christian physicians in this country. The ABC Clinic, a Christian family practice in Albania’s capital -as well a large teaching hospital are each looking for IM, FM and pediatricians as well as surgical specialists to teach and provide expertise for inpatient care. In addition to clinical teaching, there will be opportunities for both formal lectures and informal workshops.

5] Oradea, Romania

Tentatively scheduled for mid-May, a large facility caring of the homeless, disabled and terminally ill has requested a 5-7 day visit to consult on healthcare for its residents. It is also hoped that Med students from the local university will participate as volunteer assistants and learners. Palliative Medicine, Wound Care experts and IM/FM specialists (especially those with nursing home experience) are greatly needed for his first-time venture to this part of the Balkans.

6] The Stefan Center

Macedonia has limited services for its special needs children. Plans are underway for a small-scale daycare facility for the profoundly disabled in Skopje. It is hoped not only to consult on care for these special needs kids but also to teach upcoming pediatricians, therapists, and nurses how to care for this vulnerable population.

As for our fellow healthcare team members, APPs, nurses, PT and OT volunteers are all very welcome, especially in Skopje, Albania and for the Romanian pilot project. Similarly, non-medical volunteers (ie spouses, older children in the professional’s family) would be a huge blessing to the operations at the Stefan Center.

Finally, US medical residents are also welcome to join our teams.

Click here for these MEI Scholarships:

Dietz Scholarship

Schindler Scholarship