From Sydney to India: A life changing medical elective
Harry’s trip to India was both professionally and personally enriching.
Most of us will only have a handful of truly life‑altering experiences. For third‑year medical student, Harry de Souza (MD ’23), one of these was travelling from Sydney to southern India as part of his degree. Harry’s grandparents had migrated to Australia from India in the 1960s in pursuit of their own medical careers and better opportunities for their children. He wanted to “honour them by experiencing the healthcare system in India firsthand.” Thanks to the Julia and Francis Miller Family Medical Elective Term Scholarship, Harry was able to do precisely that.
Arriving in Vellore, Harry was swept up in a flurry of new sights, scents, and sounds. Amidst the energy of the city, the Christian Medical College (CMC) stands as a steadfast sanctuary of healing. What began as a single‑bed clinic in 1900, grew into a 3000‑bed healthcare system with six campuses, and is where Harry conducted most of his elective term.
Each day brought new challenges and lessons, with the most memorable being Harry’s time in the CMC’s Community Health and Development (CHAD) outreach program. As part of CHAD, Harry provided primary care services to rural and remote communities near Vellore, from regular check‑ups for the elderly and pregnant, to more confronting encounters with infectious diseases he had only read about in textbooks: tuberculosis, malaria, dengue fever, and scrub typhus.
Above all, Harry was struck by the individuals he encountered. “I will always remember the resourcefulness and resilience of the healthcare providers in the face of limited resources,” Harry says. “And the patients were so rich in spirit and happiness. These were people experiencing true hardship and yet they would unhesitatingly offer me food and a cup of chai.” It was moments like this that made medicine become more than just a science to Harry. As he describes, “it was a truly a life‑changing experience that I will cherish and use to guide my future practice.”
Patrick helped perform routine check ups and monitored the children’s growth rate.
Patrick Ryan, the 2024 scholarship recipient, saw firsthand the challenges of global health during his time in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, a rural valley region with some of the highest poverty rates in the country. Patrick was based at Clinica Primeros Pasos (“First Steps Clinic”), which is led by Guatemalan women and focuses on providing affordable primary care to a largely Indigenous community.
Alongside the dedicated staff, Patrick immersed himself in hands‑on care. From routine check‑ups and recording medical histories to wart removal and organising the pharmacy, no two days were the same. Patrick particularly enjoyed working with the children in the community. With the average adult income being US$2 a day, the unfortunate reality is that kids experience high rates of malnutrition, making the clinic’s outreach work a lifeline.
“I was amazed to see how quickly these children grew with simply the right nutritional support and knowledge,” Patrick remarks. “The power and efficiency of well‑targeted primary healthcare is incredible.”
In Quetzaltenango, Patrick began to see medicine in a new light as he learned the true essence of being a practitioner – treating the person, and not just the illness. “I got to really understand Guatemalan culture and the importance of tailoring healthcare to the community. By combining elements of Indigenous healthcare and Western medicine, we connected on a deeper level, and the care we provided was far more effective,” Patrick explains.
These types of learnings are difficult to grasp from textbooks, yet they are crucial for shaping a good practitioner. “I got such a unique insight into the community and their specific needs,” Patrick says. “It embodied why I originally went into medicine: to help others and make a true impact.”
The scholarship was named after the donor’s grandparents, Julia and Francis Miller, pictured here on their wedding day in 1911.
Like its recipients, the anonymous donor of the Julia and Francis Miller Family Medical Elective Term Scholarship knows the importance of real‑world experience. Back in the 1960s, the donor embarked on her first trip outside of Australia to volunteer in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Her main recollection was simply “how beautiful the people were,” and “the contrast of the cultures.”
The trip affirmed the donor’s calling to serve others, a value which her grandparents had instilled in her. She enrolled as a teaching student, sparking a 32‑year career in education, and throughout her career volunteered on trips back to Papua New Guinea, and to countries like Timor‑Leste.
The scholarship was inspired both by her grandparents and a local family who established a similar bursary in memory of their son. “I thought it was a wonderful idea,” she explains. “I had some money available over the years and thought it would be valuable to humanity.”
Since 2017, this scholarship has enabled Doctor of Medicine students to travel to developing countries or areas of infectious diseases. As the generous donor remarks, “I hope it leaves a lasting memory for them and that in turn, they will pass on their own generosity to others.”
Written by Elizabeth Jo for the donor publication. Photography supplied.