“I feel privileged to help”: Meet Doctors of the World’s longest-serving volunteer

Fourteen years ago, midwife Bettina Wanninkhof picked up a newspaper article that would kickstart a long and fulfilling career volunteering with Doctors of the World. Bettina has reflected on her many years supporting excluded people to access healthcare during Volunteers’ Week, June 1-7. Bettina Wanninkhof (right) is Doctors of the World’s longest-serving volunteer. How long have you been a midwife? I commenced my midwifery training in 1990 after five years working as a paediatric nurse. I went on to work full-time as a hospital midwife in southwest London until the end of 2004 when I enrolled on a Master of Science in Medical Anthropology. I have continued to intermittently work as a Bank midwife since then, mainly in the antenatal clinic of St. Helier Hospital, Carshalton. How did you come to volunteer with Doctors of the World? In 2006, while on the tube on my way home, I found an Evening Standard, which contained an article about Project London in Bethnal Green – the forerunner of today’s DOTW clinic in Stratford. The project sounded novel and worthwhile, and there was mention of a shortage of volunteers, so I applied (and was accepted) to work as a volunteer nurse at the new clinic. “I believe strongly that healthcare is a human right and while there are still health inequalities in the UK, feel privileged to be able to help to alleviate them in a small way.” I have been involved with DOTW for 14 years now – some y...
Source: Doctors of the World News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Uncategorised Doctors of the World support worker volunteer Source Type: news