I was blessed enough to have an exhilarating 746.33 hours , 44,780 minutes and 2,686,800 seconds in Deutschland not too long ago . Why do such statistics matter you may be wondering ? Hopefully at the end of my blog post it will make sense to whoever will take their time to run over my musings.

My name is Aashley Kendi. I have three other names , but where would the mystery be if I shared all my names at once ? I shouldthrow in the others in between. Be on the look out maybe . Haha.We shall see. I am a 6th year medical student at the University of Nairobi. In August of 2023, I was fortunate to do my elective term at the Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring in Berlin , Germany courtesy of the Public Health Club of University of Nairobi and Unified for Health , a global health organization which facilitates exchanges to enable medical students and practitioners to broaden their scopes of understanding in global health.

During my time there , I rotated in the gastroenterology, pediatrics and Infection prevention departments.

GASTROENTEROLOGY DEPARTMENT

I began my electives with a bang in the gastroenterology department which quickly opened my eyes to Germany’s National health insurance scheme which genuinely astounded me. It stands as a testament to their commitment to healthcare excellence. Their approach to healthcare combines public and private insurance, providing comprehensive coverage to all citizens.

One remarkable aspect is its universality; nearly everyone in Germany is insured, ensuring equitable access to healthcare services regardless of social status in public facilities. Moreover, their emphasis on preventative care and early diagnosis has resulted in lower healthcare costs in the long run. Recent statistics indicate that Germany boasts one of the highest life expectancy rates and a relatively low infant mortality rate, underscoring the positive impact of their healthcare system.

On top of the exposure to their insurance scheme, I attended ward rounds, carried out physical examinations and participated in management of patients in the G.E ward all under my brilliant supervisor Dr. Judith who graciously imparted a diverse array of invaluable lessons in the realm of patient management, thereby nurturing my potential to evolve into a more adept and proficient physician. I am so grateful for my short yet sweet time under her.

A selfie with Dr. Judith on my first day at the entrance of Helios

PEDIATRICS DEPARTMENT
If I could summarize my time in the pediatrics department, it would be with these two lines :  “A pediatrician’s office is where the magic happens – where tears turn into smiles.” and “Working with children requires infinite patience and boundless love.” The pediatrics department in Helios was such a force. I loved how they attended to every single child with utmost care, joy, empathy and brilliance. My time under Dr. Steffan and Dr.Gunther served as a profound catalyst, reinforcing my long standing desire to pursue a career as a pediatrician. The pediatrics department also had a day weekly where dogs woud come comfort the patients . How cool is that ? I was truly stunned every day whilst there and enjoyed my time here learning from my supervisors.

Pediatric OPD room in Helios

INFECTION PREVENTION DEPARTMENT

I spent my last two weeks in Germany under the supervision of the distinguished Dr. Nicola and I am most definitely better for it. Infection prevention is a field that one may easily overlook and not pay much emphasis to, but once exposed to the amount of data I was, it really makes you re-evaluate your construction around it. Learning about how easily patients pick up hospital acquired infections and how easily crucial measures such asdiligent hand sanitization and thorough hand washing mitigate this was eye-opening for me.

Dr Nicola also truly went above and beyond to ensure I got the most out of my time in her department. From organizing for me to attend a ward round in the respiratory ward, to discussions in the microbiology and pathology departments and a day in the theatre. It was all such good exposure for me, more so in seeing how advanced their machinery and laboratory methods are. My tenure under her supervision was a gratifying experience to say the least and her sweet personality was the icing on the cake.

A picture with Dr. Nicola after a discussion in the microbiology laboratory

Examining auramine O stained sputum smear showing Acid Fast bacilli in the microbiology lab in Helios.

UNIFIED FOR HEALTH ACTIVITIES

In addition to the clinical rotations in the hospital ( what a bonus right ? ) we had activities under the organization.

These entailed :

An image with both the founders of IRIA including Prof. Dr. Dr Timo Ulrichs and Gaby Feldman and one of the co-founders of UFH Dr. Lukas Herrmann ; Dr. Sumbal Shahbaz ; Emily Delgado ; Emily Riaz and myself.

At the German Central Committee against Tuberculosis

An image taken during the lights festival whilst we were in Heidelberg

An image we took while outside the Heidelberg castle!

AASHLEY’S FREE TIME

During my free time I toured the beautiful city of Berlin which literally kept kept my mouth open as I was always gasping haha! I toured the Charlottenburg palace, Neue Nationalgalerie( being the art lover I am )  , Viktoriapark, went to Bebelpark , Monbijou park ,the breathtaking Berliner dom , Brandenburger Tor ,  The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz ( a beautiful historical library ), Checkpoint Charlie , Alexanderplatz , e.t.c. mostly with friends , both new and old .

We also took day trips to other cities such as Rostock and Potsdam which were a blast and I also got to go visit relatives in both Hamburg and The Netherlands.

I am so grateful for the experiences I had in my ‘stipulated times’ that I had mentioned above . I’m sure you can tell it deeply impacted me in more ways than one, both as a future physician and a person. I am so grateful to The Public Health club, Unified for Health, Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring and my family for this golden opportunity. I cannot wait to put into practice all the principles I learnt in my time there!

And this summarizes my Germany trip “ I came , I saw , I appreciated the beauty of life.” Both within the hands of and outside the scalpel.