16 September 2025
Jesse Zulberg recently returned from Tanzania where he spent two months volunteering with HealthMission Africa, an experience that left a lasting impact on his approach to medicine. The final-year MD student worked in rural areas where healthcare resources are limited, giving him new perspective on medical practice.
‘Growing up in South Africa, I was always aware of the gap between those who had access to healthcare and those who didn’t’, Jesse explains. ‘When I went to Tanzania, for the first time I was able to combine my love for medicine with my desire to serve communities in need’. Working in a local hospital, Jesse witnessed how doctors looked found creative ways to care for patients without basic medical supplies. ‘What struck me most was how different medicine when stripped down to the basics. Essentials we take for granted—like gloves or splints—were either limited or unavailable. What stood out wasn’t what was missing, but how the doctors refused to be held back by it’.
One experience that stayed with Jesse involved a road traffic accident victim with a fractured femur. With no medical splints available, the doctor asked Jesse to find a cardboard box. Together, they fashioned it into a makeshift splint that worked until proper transfer could be arranged. ‘My training at UNIC gave me knowledge and clinical skills. But Tanzania gave me perspective. I realised that being a doctor is about adapting that knowledge to whatever situation you find yourself in’.
Now preparing to graduate, Jesse carries forward lessons in adaptability and service. ‘Medicine rarely provides perfect circumstances. But what remains constant is the responsibility we have to our patients. My advice for anyone considering such an experience would be: throw yourself in. Those moments will stay with you long after you’ve left’.
