Coloniality in Global Health: Dependency, Medical Volunteerism, and Maternal Mortality

This project examines the relationship between decolonization, present-day healthcare systems, and short-term medical volunteer programs. Considering how the colonial legacy has continued in healthcare by cultivating a cycle of dependency and temporary solutions and how practices such as medical volunteer programs have emerged from this dynamic. Medical volunteerism is an offshoot of this dependency cycle between the global north and south. The need for these medical volunteer programs is often due to the lack of long-term investment in local health systems, leading to the continued presence of external organizations, commonly from developed countries. I have chosen to further examine this dynamic by looking at how women's health issues, such as high maternal mortality rates, are impacted by the short-term responses prioritized, such as medical volunteers. For my methodology, I have chosen a qualitative case study focusing on Sierra Leone and its high maternal mortality rates, which have led to outside organizations' involvement. I look specifically at organizations such as UK-based NGOs like Life for African Mothers (LFAM) and their role in addressing maternal and infant health in the country. And whether the local health infrastructure is supported through this intervention. The scope of the case study explores the period before and during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, particularly the increased international involvements effects on maternal healthcare, the participation of organizations such as LFAM, and the impact on maternal mortality rates.