Volunteering helps clinicians develop adaptability, communication, and problem-solving skills. It also increases awareness of health disparities and reinforces values such as empathy, solidarity, and teamwork.

Founded in 2003 by the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), SEMG Solidaria has a network of more than 8000 volunteer physicians. In November, the organization conducted a surgical mission at Suka Maternity Hospital in a geographically isolated region on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola. The mission is to treat the most urgent and complex cases that exceed the region’s healthcare capacity, while training local clinicians to perform these procedures independently.

Beyond its mission to the DRC, SEMG Solidaria supports a range of initiatives that combine healthcare, professional training, and international development.

Speaking with El Médico Interactivo, Manuel Mozota Núñez, president of SEMG Solidaria, said, “Many professionals return with a broader perspective on medicine and a greater ability to make the best use of available resources.”

“[We] promote oral health, support healthcare digitalization, provide training in the management of common diseases, and perform ultrasonography in refugee camps in the Sahara. We also offer workshops on minor surgery, ultrasonography, heart failure, and electrocardiography in Burundi, and we collaborate with a soup kitchen in Oviedo, Spain, to care for the city’s most disadvantaged residents,” Mozota said.

SEMG Solidaria also encourages physicians to gain firsthand experience with the challenges faced by underserved populations in Spain and other developing countries. “Family physicians bring a holistic perspective that encompasses the individual, the family, and the community. They are accustomed to working with limited resources, managing a broad range of health conditions, and emphasizing prevention and health education. These skills are particularly valuable in volunteer projects, where a comprehensive approach is often essential for addressing diverse healthcare needs,” he said.

The Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) and Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC) also support volunteer and humanitarian initiatives that promote community health and provide care for vulnerable populations in Spain and abroad. SEMERGEN coordinates medical volunteer activities through its solidarity initiative, whereas semFYC conducts part of its social mission through its foundation and international cooperation projects.

Humanitarian Organizations

Outside scientific societies, numerous nongovernmental and humanitarian organizations offer opportunities for international medical volunteering.

One of these is Médicos del Mundo, an international humanitarian organization that upholds the universal right to health, particularly for people affected by poverty, conflict, disasters, humanitarian crises, or social exclusion.

In Spain, the organization runs programs for vulnerable populations and leads projects focused on community health, social exclusion, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. Internationally, it operates in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and other countries.

From September 28 to October 11, the organization will conduct a humanitarian mission in the Sahara. It is assembling an ophthalmology team to establish medical camps for Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf, Algeria. The team is seeking three ophthalmologists, five nurses, and one anesthesiologist.

Another major humanitarian organization is Doctors Without Borders, which provides medical care to people who lack access to healthcare or are living in humanitarian emergencies. Its work includes armed conflicts, epidemics, natural disasters, migration crises, refugee settings, and regions affected by extreme poverty. The organization currently operates in more than 70 countries.

Although it is not currently recruiting volunteers, Doctors Without Borders regularly recruits healthcare professionals for paid international humanitarian assignments. The available positions include anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, family physicians, pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Hospital Ships

Mercy Ships is an international humanitarian organization that operates hospital ships as floating surgical centers, providing free healthcare in countries with limited healthcare infrastructure, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.

Its vessels, including the Africa Mercy and Global Mercy, function as fully equipped hospitals capable of performing complex ophthalmic, maxillofacial, orthopedic, reconstructive, and other surgical procedures as well as providing dental and specialized medical care. The organization also trains local healthcare professionals and supports long-term efforts to strengthen national healthcare systems. Individual deployments last several months, and in some cases, more than 1 year.

More than 1200 volunteers from more than 60 countries serve Mercy Ships each year. The organization was founded in the US in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens to provide free medical care in countries with limited healthcare resources. Its first hospital ship, Anastasis, entered service in the 1980s, establishing the organization’s floating hospital model.

Maritime Rescue

Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH), a humanitarian organization based in Spain’s Basque Country, was founded in 2015 by search-and-rescue professionals committed to assisting migrants attempting dangerous Mediterranean crossings in search of safety and a better future. In addition to maritime rescue operations, SMH provides medical care to rescued migrants after they reach the shore.

The rescue vessel Aita Mari was acquired in 2018 through a public fundraising campaign. Equipped with medical supplies and rescue equipment, ships have become a symbol of humanitarian assistance in the Mediterranean. Since then, it has completed numerous rescue missions and saved more than 1500 lives. Preparations are currently underway for the next deployment.

Spanish Technical Aid Response Team (START) Project

Another cornerstone of Spain’s humanitarian response is the START project led by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). START is a rapid-response medical team composed of healthcare professionals from Spain’s public health system who can be deployed anywhere in the world during humanitarian emergencies. Team members are commonly known as the “Red Vests.”

The field hospital can become operational within 36 hours of arriving on site and includes surgical capabilities.

The team’s first deployment took place in Dondo, Mozambique, in 2019, following Cyclone Idai. Most recently, START responded to the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, operating a field hospital on the outskirts of Iskenderun for 6 weeks.

AECID’s Emergency Medical Team can also be deployed without a full-field hospital or with a smaller medical facility, as it was in 2021 following the explosion at a military arsenal in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. On that mission, a team of 14 healthcare professionals supported local hospitals and medical staff.

Felipe Noya, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain, participated in START missions in Mozambique, Türkiye, and Equatorial Guinea. He described the experience as both “wonderful” and “exciting” and encouraged fellow physicians to become involved.

Learning Opportunity

According to Mozota, physicians interested in humanitarian work often face challenges related to time; balancing volunteer commitments with clinical practice; obtaining leave from work; securing funding for travel and accommodation; and meeting the administrative, logistical, and training requirements associated with specific destinations and projects.

He advised prospective volunteers to carefully evaluate the organization and project, understand their own skills and expectations, and prepare both clinically and culturally. “It is important to choose responsible and sustainable initiatives that work in partnership with local communities. Volunteering should be viewed as an opportunity for mutual learning and service,” he said.

He added, “Healthcare volunteering offers an extraordinary opportunity to improve people’s health while fostering both professional and personal growth. In addition to providing direct care, it deepens understanding of the social realities that shape health and strengthens our commitment to more humane, equitable, and patient-centered healthcare.”

This article was translated from El Médico Interactivo on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.