Nestled in the Manali Valley at the foothills of the Indian Himalayas is the Lady Willingdon Hospital, a small but busy facility with a unique philosophy: no patient will be turned away, no matter their race, religion, age, sex or financial situation.
Unfortunately, this philanthropy comes at a price. With too many patients and not enough resources to manage them, Lady Willingdon relies heavily on both local and international support in order to continue its compassionate model of care.
Every year, four first-year medicine students at UQ are chosen to manage the Manali Medical Aid Project (MMAP). Started by UQ students in 2007, MMAP is designed to provide much-needed financial aid to the hospital.
In addition to coordinating fundraising events for that year, the organisers have the opportunity to undertake their end-of-year clinical placement at Lady Willingdon, giving them four weeks to put their skills to the test and see their fundraising efforts come to fruition.