MOLLIE Pieniazek (18) said giving free medical check-ups to school children in a slum in India was the highlight of her two-week trip.
The Ocean Reef resident, who is studying to become a paramedic, went overseas this year with International Volunteer HQ.
“The trip was an eye-opener, I got to experience a whole other side of healthcare and learn about different medical treatments,” she said.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“The other volunteers and I went to a slum school in Faridabad and gave the children a free medical check up with appropriate treatment.
“It was great to see some of the children finally getting the help that they desperately needed.”
Mollie said spending time with doctors and asking about India’s health system had showed her how much it differed between countries.
“I was surprised at the difference in the healthcare system between India and Australia,” she said.
“The places I volunteered at were very limited in resources and medication to the point where every patient would be given the same three pills regardless of their complaint.
“It was hard to see a lot of the patients not get the same attention and treatment that we would be given in other countries but most of the treatments and medications are too expensive for some of the families living in the slums as everything is paid for directly in cash.”