All fees are based on a 4 week program. For longer programs, additional fees are calculated on a weekly basis. While only 4 and 8 week options are available when applying, please click here for detailed instructions for 5, 6 or 7 week options.

"Ancient yet modern, fabulously rich, yet achingly poor, Mumbai is India in a microcosm." From Nariman Point, Mumbai`s "mini-Manhattan," to its distant suburbs, the city pulsates with life and vitality. With a population of nearly 13 million, Mumbai has plenty of wealthy industrialists, flashy film stars, and internationally acclaimed artists. Workers, teachers, clerks of all kinds, exist together in soaring skyscrapers and sprawling slums. The combination of diverse ethnic backgrounds speaking over a dozen languages, Mumbai creates an urban Indian melting pot.

Mumbai has vital street life, India's best nightlife, more bazaars than students could ever explore and the capacity to draw a visitor in like no other Indian metropolis. Mumbai has a many restaurants where students can try a variety of cuisines from Parsi dhansak, vegetarian Gujarati thalis, and Muslim kebabs to Goan vindaloo and Mangalorean seafood. Mumbai's vibrant nightlife ranges from simple beer bars to hi-tech discos and glamorous nightclubs. Its location is convenient for short weekend trips to beaches and resorts such as Goa.

• Photos
• Practical Information
• Recommended Vaccinations
• Visas

• Recommended Books
  
• Wikipedia India
• Wikipedia Mumbai
• Mumbai Net : Useful information
• Map of India
• India: A country study
  

Recommended Vaccinations
Please visit your local public health office, or travel clinic and heed the advice of a travel physician. You should have all your routine childhood and adult vaccinations as required, including yellow fever for some countries, at least 4 weeks prior to departure. Be sure to set up doctor's appointment up 4 to 6 weeks before your trip. Please click here for a detailed explanation from the CDC of routine, required and recommended vaccinations.

Recommended vaccinations (according to risk): These vaccines are recommended to protect travelers from illnesses present in other parts of the world and to prevent the importation of infectious diseases across international borders. CFHI does not require verification of recommended vaccinations; however we strongly suggest getting all CDC recommended vaccinations. Please click here for a list of CDC recommended vaccinations for India.

This program is open to those who possess:

• English

This program is open to participants who are 21 or over at the time of participation. We accept students of all nationalities with interest in international health and relevant educational background. Participants may be any of the following:

• Medical Residents, MD & DO
• Medical Students, MD & DO 1-2
• Medical Students, MD & DO 3-4
• Senior level Pre-Medical Students
• Post-bacc pre-medical students
• Gap year pre-medical students
• Graduate nursing students
• Nursing Students
• MPH Students
• Physicians Assistants Students
• Naturopathic students
  

If you do not fit into one of these categories, please contact us to see if you would be eligible to apply.

The following hospitals and clinics are a sample of possible rotations during this program. Some restrictions may apply for pre-clinical and pre-medical students. CFHI programs can be predominately observational depending on your previous clinical training, your ability to communicate directly with patients, local laws that prevent foreigners from directly providing healthcare services and whether the preceptors who will be supervising you trust your clinical skills. Rotation availability depends on local conditions.

Acworth Leprosy Hospital
This local government hospital in Mumbai is completely devoted to leprosy cases. Leprosy is one of the diseases that elicit a strong social reaction. Leprosy patients ostracized by families and society and with nowhere to go live at the facility. The cured hospital patients live on campus, provide emotional support, and run programs to rehabilitate new patients. Here students will see leprosy cases, receive lectures and be able to visit a leprosy museum. At any given time there are over 200 leprosy patients at this location.

Primary care in the biggest slum in Asia
CFHI also partners with two small clinics run in the extremely poor areas of Mumbai. These are located in the slums where majority of the urban poor live. The clinics are very small run by an individual doctor and assistant. Focus here will be on primary care and students will see most seasonal diseases.

BSES Municipal General Hospital
Located in Andheri West area of Mumbai, this hospital has 100 beds semi private general hospital that offers departments in Medicine, Surgery, Ob/Gyn, Orthopedic, Pathology and Radiology services. The hospital also has specialized services like ICU, Blood Bank, Kidney Dialysis Unit, CT Scan Centre, Physiotherapy and Oncology and training facilities. The hospital is financially maintained and managed by Global Hospital and Research Trust. 33% beds of the hospital are free for poor needy patients.

V.N. Desai Municipal General Hospital
Located in Santa Cruz East area of Mumbai, this hospital has 251 beds and is a Municipal General Hospital having average daily OPD of about 1000 patients. This hospital is funded by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. It caters medical services free or at subsidized rates mainly to low socio economic class of people. The students will be rotated in the different clinical service departments of this hospital. It is situated close to the highway in the crowded Western Suburbs of Mumbai. There are Medicine, Surgery, Ob/Gyn, Orthopaedic, Psychiatry, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, Pathology, Radiology, Blood Bank, ICU (semi private), and Casualty departments in the hospital. Honorary Consultants, Resident and full time Medical Officers and qualified Nursing and Technical staff provide services to patients.

Kushtarog Niwaran Samiti, Panvel / Shantivan

Located approximately 2 hours from Mumbai, the Kushtarog Niwaran Samiti (spread over a 122-acre plot) provides a unique opportunity for students to spend a week in the rural area to gain a better perspective on the differences in healthcare services between urban and rural India. The Samiti was established in 1952 where its main object is Leprosy eradication. During the last 20 years the center has detected 5000 leprosy patients of which 4800 patients has been cured so far. Students will split time between the Samiti and clinics throughout the Panvel/Shantivan region. For more information on this site read an article published in the Times of India.

Dr. Pankaj Batla's Clinic, Vakola, Santa Cruz

Dr. Batla is a general practitioner who serves the middle class and upper middle class population of Mumbai.

Other Short-Term Site Visits:

Leprosy Referral Center at Golibar, Santa Cruz. (Half-day visit.) The center is a community based leprosy management center where diagnostic, physiotherapy and treatment facilities are provided for leprosy patients with complications. Student may witness active leprosy cases with reactions, neuritis and other complications, as well as the manner in which these cases are managed at the community level.

Humsafar Project, Vakola, Santa Cruz- This project provides HIV/AIDS Control program services to Men having Sex with Men (MSM). The project coordinators speak conversational English and may show students project activities, such as counseling, voluntary HIV testing practices, condom promotions, STD clinic, etc.

DOTS Center at Koldongri, Andheri- A Tuberculosis Microscopy and Treatment Center where cases of TB are demonstrated and field level management of TB is discussed with students by a physician.

HIV/AIDS control project: Ashray (meaning 'shelter') A project run by an NGO called as "Committed for Community Development" at Bandra (West). The project activities include an orphanage of HIV positive children and a "Community Care Centre (CCC)" for HIV/AIDS female patients. They provide hospital care for 12 females with opportunistic infections. Dr Mamta, a pediatrician, looks after the health problems and monitors patients on ART.

All rotations are subject to change depending on local availability and upon Indian holidays. Local coordinators will do their best to make alternate arrangements if a particular activity or facility is not available during the program month.

• CFHI Arrival and Departure Dates
• Clinical Rotations /Academic Credit Assistance
• Orientation & Coordinators
• Accommodations
• Communication
• Program Months

CFHI participants should schedule their flight to arrive at any time on the designated "arrival day" (see right side bulleted menu for exact arrival dates). Program activities and arrival orientation generally start the following day, thus arriving on the arrival day ensures all participants are present to take part in these activities. The departure date of each program occurs on the Saturday four (4) weeks following the arrival date. Participants not planning on doing extra traveling outside of the program should be sure to schedule their flight to depart at any time on this day.

Clinical Rotations

CFHI's rotations are designed to offer you clinical and observational experiences relevant to your level of medical education. The program includes the following educational aspects:

• Pre-trip orientation materials & web conference opportunities
• Orientation upon arrival, including cultural adjustment exercises
• Weekly meetings with Medical Director and Local Coordinator
• Clinical rotations Monday-Friday, excepting holidays or work stoppages, working with a local physician who has opted to participate in CFHI as a teaching preceptor
• Information sessions that highlight the health care system in that country, common cases you will encounter and other site-specific information
• Post-trip debrief materials & other on-going alumni activities/services
  

We recommend you study as much Hindi and/or Marathi as possible before you go, as it will greatly decrease personal frustration you may experience during the CFHI experience. All of activities listed above will be conducted in English and all of our partners in this program speak English, yet many other people you will encounter may not.

If you expect that you will need academic credit for your CFHI program, you will be responsible for getting your university's approval. CFHI can help you and provide you with the appropriate material (printing out this website information generally is not sufficient), however we are not an accredited institution and cannot award credit ourselves. Please click here to read more about ways in which CFHI can help you obtain academic credit from your university.

Comprehensive orientation and full time coordinators

You will be met on arrival at Mumbai International Airport by our local coordinators from where you will be transported to your guesthouse. The Local Coordinator will arrange all accommodations, meals and provide orientation on issues around diet, safety, transport, currency conversion, communication, travel, norms and culture. Our coordinators will hold weekly meetings to monitor and evaluate the program and will provide 24-hour emergency support.

Accommodations (Shared basis)

Accommodation will be provided at a local guesthouse on a shared basis (2-3 students per room). Please note that not all of the accommodation does not include facilities like air conditioning, internet, telephones and mineral water and hot water bath. There will be showers for you to use to bathe, but the water may not always be hot. The food provided in the program is traditional Indian vegetarian cuisine.

If you decide to arrive early or stay in CFHI's accommodations after your program has ended, you will need to pay for the time spent outside of the CFHI program. These fees should be paid directly to the local coordinator of the program. The prices usually range from $40-$50 USD per night in the guesthouses to closer to $80 USD per night in hotels (these prices include 2 meals a day).

Communication

You will be assigned a mobile phone (with free unlimited incoming calls) for the duration of your stay. All important phone numbers will have been pre-programmed along with a limited amount of airtime for emergencies. To make calls over and above the airtime included, you can purchase pre-paid phone cards at various locations locally. You will be required to sign a $100 release form in order to receive the cell phone. You will not be charged the $100 fee if the phone is returned in good working order to your program coordinator.To learn more about how to make phone calls to and from your program country, click here. * (CFHI does not endorse any services provided by this site nor does it guarantee the accuracy of it's information).

Please note that there is no internet/e-mail access in the rural areas. You will be able to check e-mail in Mumbai.

Program Months

All CFHI groups of participants fluctuate in size through out the year. The summer months tend to be the busiest time of year, so please plan ahead and apply early if you want to secure a space in a specific program during the summer months. During the rest of the year, the group size in a program can be small, especially during the fall months. However, we will NEVER cancel a program due to the size of the group, even if there is only one participant.

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CFHI is a nonprofit organization committed to providing students a unique opportunity to experience another culture and healthcare system in a responsible way. Though we work closely with our global partners to provide you the best possible trip, the nature of international travel means that we cannot anticipate all challenges that may occur. It is important that participants realize they must remain flexible in the face of situations that may be difficult to understand. Participating in a CFHI program means that you are an informal ambassador to the community you visit and your professional behavior is of the utmost importance.

Child Family Health International (CFHI) offers service-learning programs around the world. CFHI would like to stress to prospective applicants and institutional partners, that service-learning is not an episodic volunteer experience, and our student programs are not designed to provide service to those who would otherwise not have healthcare. The main objectives are to broaden your public health knowledge, experience a different culture, and develop creativity in problem-solving. CFHI has assembled a global family of outstanding local healthcare professionals who are at the forefront of healthcare delivery in their countries. You will have the rare opportunity to shadow these unique women and men observing and learning to work in a clinical and public health environment with limited diagnostic and therapeutic resources.

1. What problem do we address?

2. How do we address the problem?

3. How does the community benefit?

4. How do participants help in the clinic?

5. What kind of educational experience is the CFHI global health elective?

6. What are the objectives of the program?

7. Where do CFHI students come from (past participants' universities/colleges)?

8. What role can domestic Institutional Partners (universities, collaboratives, et. al.) play?

9. What is Service-Learning?

1. What problem do we address?

In today’s world we often see the uneven distribution of healthcare that leaves many impoverished communities underserved. Economic, political, and social factors all contribute to people’s access to healthcare, both internationally and at home. Increasingly, we need culturally and linguistically competent healthcare providers around the world to address these inequities.

2. How do we address the problem?

Child Family Health International’s (CFHI) Global Health Service-Learning Programs combine instruction, experience, service, and reflection to create a model that supports physicians and clinical sites abroad, addresses the healthcare needs of the underserved, and adds an unforgettable experiential element to each program participant’s education.

CFHI programs bring service-learning to hospitals and clinics around the world, allowing participants to gain insight on the contextual constructs of illness and healing in foreign settings. Program Alumni return from the host country with new perspectives on healthcare systems and delivery in places where resources and supplies are extremely limited. To read further on the potential benefits of international experiences for health students, we recommend the paper “The Effect of a Global Multiculturalism Track on Cultural Competence of Preclinical Medical Students” by Godkin and Savageau (2001).

Since 1992, CFHI has arranged for nearly 4,000 pre-medical, medical and other students of the health professions, from over 400 top universities in the and the world, to work and study in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, and South Africa

3. How does the community benefit?

While a student’s ability to practice medicine may be limited by clinical knowledge or language skills, the participant’s contribution to the community is not an illusion. For example, we provide each participant with a box of donated medical supplies to carry with them for distribution among partner facilities. In addition, our partner physicians at each program site are compensated for their willingness to mentor CFHI students. This supplementary income promotes job retention in countries where physicians are paid small salaries, often by financially strapped governments. Furthermore, the exchange of information between students and their preceptors provides an invaluable experience for participants, the patients, and the physicians.

4. How do participants help in the clinic?

Each of our program sites has many locally qualified and experienced healthcare providers, so the participant’s primary motivation for participation should not focus on a concept of humanitarian aid, in which one expects to provide medical care to people that would otherwise not receive it. The participant’s main objective should be to actively observe, according to current language abilities, level of training, and local laws, in order to develop a high level of community health awareness. While abroad, this happens in the social and cultural context of the program site.  Child Family Health International (CFHI) would like to stress to prospective applicants and institutional partners, that service-learning is not an episodic volunteer experience, and our student programs are not designed to provide service to those who would otherwise not have healthcare.

5. What kind of educational experience is the CFHI global health elective?

CFHI's rotations are designed to offer you hands-on  or observational clinical experience (depending on your clinical and language skills as well as local laws), much like what you would experience during a rotation in the . The program includes the following educational aspects:

• Pre-trip orientation materials & web conference opportunities
• Orientation upon arrival, including cultural adjustment exercises
• Weekly meetings with Medical Director and Local Coordinator
• Clinical rotations Monday-Friday, excepting holidays or work stoppages, working with a local physician who has opted to participate in CFHI as a teaching preceptor.
• Information sessions that highlight the health care system in that country, common cases you will encounter and other site-specific information.
• Post-trip debrief materials & other on-going alumni activities/services

If you are attending a program in a Spanish-speaking country, we recommend you study as much Spanish as possible before you go, as it will greatly decrease your personal frustration during the CFHI experience. Most activities listed above will be conducted in Spanish, except for the orientations and alumni services.

MD Consult and FIRST Consult bring the leading medical resources together into one integrated online service to help physicians efficiently find answers to clinical questions, make better treatment decisions, and stay abreast of recent developments. MD Consult has been adopted by over 90% of North American medical schools and by over 1,700 health care organizations in 46 countries worldwide. FIRST Consult offers an evidence-based resource for the Point of Care, peer-reviewed content and a differential diagnosis tool.

(Please view the FAQs on the right had panel for more information)

6. What are the objectives of the CFHI Service-Learning program?

CFHI’s International Health Service-Learning Programs help participants:

• Develop a larger sense of cultural competency
• Observe and develop existing clinical skills
• Broaden public health knowledge
• Develop creativity in problem-solving
• Deepen their commitment to service
• Promote medical supply conservation

Prospective participants may apply online. Our participants are 21 years of age and over, come from around the globe, and are dedicated to a diverse array of professions in health.

7. Where do your students come from (past participants' colleges/universities)?

CFHI has provided global health education programs to nearly 4,000 health science students since 1992.  Our participants come from over 35 countries and 400+ of the most prestigious universities in the world, and represent a huge variety of the medical profession’s student population.

8. What role do domestic institutional partners (i.e. universities, collaboratives) play?

In addition to providing quality programs for individual students, CFHI is dedicated to building relationships with institutions of higher learning for relevant international programs. Creating and sustaining international programs is a long-term and labor-intensive process. Our international partnerships with physicians and clinic sites are established and reliable, and CFHI can offer the expertise needed to administer an international program to match institutional needs. Some of our current partnerships include:

• Princeton University—Health Professions Advising Office and the Pace Center for Service-Learning: CFHI developed a domestic and international health service-learning program that combined 5 weeks of international work in Quito, Ecuador with 40 hours of service in Spanish-speaking health centers in urban New Jersey.

• Oregon University System—IE3 Global Internship program: CFHI designed 11-week clinical internships in and that focus on cultural competency and valuable clinical experience within the structure of an internship. The internship promotes planning and goal-setting for students in the clinic setting.

• College Corps—CFHI currently working with College Corps, a project started several years ago by Harvard University undergraduate students, to offer 8-week programs in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico or South Africa, for pre-med students.

• University of California Davis—has teamed up with CFHI to offer a quarter-long study abroad program in Oaxaca, that highlights Latino/a Health Internship Program for undergraduate students. This course is certified by the university as a 20-unit course entitled "Bi-National Health".

If you are an administrator and would like to discuss partnership possibilities we would be excited to hear from you! Please contact Program Staff at CFHI at students@cfhi.org or by phone at (415) 957-9000 and ask for Nick or Amanda.

9. What is service-learning?

Child Family Health International (CFHI) would like to stress to prospective applicants and institutional partners, that service-learning is not an episodic volunteer experience, and our student programs are not designed to provide service to those who would otherwise not have healthcare.

The following is an excerpt from the Campus Community Partnerships in Health (CCPH) website (http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/):

Service-learning is a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Students engaged in service-learning provide community service in response to community-identified concerns and learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and their roles as citizens.

Service-learning differs from traditional clinical education in the health professions in that:

• Service-learning strives to achieve a balance between service and learning objectives - in service-learning, partners must negotiate the differences in their needs and expectations.

• Service-learning places an emphasis on addressing community concerns and broad determinants of health .

• In service-learning, there is the integral involvement of community partners - service-learning involves a principle-centered partnership between communities and health professions schools.

• Service-learning emphasizes reciprocal learning - In service-learning, traditional definitions of "faculty," "teacher" and "learner" are intentionally blurred. We all learn from each other.

• Service-learning emphasizes reflective practice - In service-learning, reflection facilitates the connection between practice and theory and fosters critical thinking.

• Service-learning places an emphasis on developing citizenship skills and achieving social change- many factors influence health and quality of life. The provision of health services is not often the most important factor. In service-learning, students place their roles as health professionals and citizens in a larger societal context.
  
  

Citation: Seifer SD. (1998). Service-learning: Community-campus partnerships for health professions education. Academic Medicine, 73(3):273-277.  

Medical Director
Dr. Bhatki is the Medical Director of the Mumbai program. He arranges all clinical rotations and relevant lectures for the participating students. Dr. W S Bhatki (MBBS, DVD, DPH, DHA) has worked in the field of leprosy for over three decades. During this period he held many positions including Medical Superintendent of Acworth Leprosy Hospital, Mumbai, WHO consultant for Leprosy Eradication Program in several districts, member of National Evaluation Committee and team of Trainers, Chief Clinician for ICRC Anti-leprosy Vaccine trial conducted by ICMR. He has also participated in the human trials for development of short term MDT for leprosy and presented research papers at many International Conferences. For last three years, Dr Bhatki has been working in HIV/AIDS Control Program in Mumbai in the capacity as Joint Director (Training and Surveillance) and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer under GFATM project at Mumbai District AIDS Control Society.

Local Coordinator
The local coordinator will assist you with your orientation and accommodation aspects of the program. Being on the ground, he will offer expertise and perspective that is unmatched and ever present to deal with any eventuality and provide full support and guidance for the duration of your trip. The local coordinator is available to CFHI participants at any time regarding accommodations, transportation, cultural immersion, and general well-being.

India Coordinator
CFHI's India Coordinator, Hema Pandey, coordinates activities for all CFHI programs in India. She has been instrumental in establishing CFHI's growing presence in India, developing new program sites and researching CFHI's growth potential in-country. With more than 10 years of experience in the health field, Hema has handled a wide range of projects for government and non-government organizations in India, including the Indian government's Year of Scientific Awareness (YSA) 2004, which highlighted needs and issues related to disaster preparedness, health & nutrition, and soil & water conservation.