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Medical Volunteering Sri Lanka

Do you dream of an opportunity to gain international medical volunteer experience while exploring beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka? Do you want to share your medical skills, time and love with disadvantaged people? Then this medical volunteering Sri Lanka is the right fit for you.

Sri Lanka is a gorgeous island set in the Indian Ocean, filled with spectacular scenery like the famous Sigiriya Rock and Colombo City, as well as exotic wildlife like leopards and elephants in Yala National Park. It also has a deep and rich history, deeply influenced by Theravada Buddhist from India.

A medical volunteer experience in Sri Lanka is an eye-opening experience, providing you with a great deal of international work-experience in a variety of departments. We have medical volunteer and internships based in The Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK). THK is the largest Tertiary care center in the Southern Province, and was established in 1982.

THK is the main training facility for the Faculty of Medicine. It consists of 1560 beds, 54 wards, and several other units. Volunteers normally work in several departments, such as general medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, ENT, and pediatrics, and you can also arrange to spend a few days in specialist areas like neurology, rheumatology, the mortuary and clinics.

As a medical volunteer in Sri Lanka will be remarkable for your career and provide you with a great deal of international work-experience in different medical fields. Additionally, your support will go along way to ensure that Sri Lankans have easy and affordable access to proper medical care and improve the general health in the country as a whole.

Are you interested in making a difference and gaining invaluable medical experience abroad while travelling in a fascinating country? Then contact IFRE for more information today!

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Volunteers’ Responsibilities & Impact

Your responsibilities in the medical volunteer program in Sri Lanka will highly depend on your level of education, experience, and expertise. You will not be allowed to perform major surgeries or medical procedures; however you will be able to work closely with experienced local doctors or medical practitioners and learn by shadowing them while they perform their tasks.

Major duties will include providing first aid, administering medication, checking patients and prescribing medication if necessary. You will also assist with administrative work, promoting health education and personal hygiene, in addition to keeping patients records and immunization updates.

Joining our medical program in Sri Lanka as a student you will get a rare opportunity to spend time with medical experts and specialists, helping treat patients in need and even learn about diseases and conditions which may be completely new to you.

Even pre-med students get a lot out of this Sri Lanka medical volunteer program because you get at least five hours a day of supervised practical experience under your belt before beginning your college career and of course it comes with documented proof of participation.


Skills and Qualifications:

All medical students and professionals with a medical background can be part of the Sri Lanka medical volunteering program. If you are a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse midwife, gynecologist, dentist, paramedic, EMT, physical therapist, or a medical student with a passion and love to help people in need then this is the perfect project for you.

Medical volunteers in Sri Lanka will be matched with programs in various locations, depending on the field of specialization, but no matter where you’re placed you will be making a huge difference and gain valuable experience.


Each day in this medical project in Sri Lanka will be deeply rewarding and educational. You will have fun as you encounter new experiences and learn from dedicated medical professionals, helping them make a difference for disadvantaged people in need of medical care.

You will be met at the airport by one of our local staff and brought to your accommodation where you will have the day to get settled in and rest.

First Day: On your first day of you will be escorted to your placement by a local coordinator and introduced to the placement staff you will be working with.

Weekdays: Your medical work starts on the second day. Every day will be different and bring with it new experiences, however a typical volunteer day will be as follows:

7.00 to 7.30 AM: A delicious home-cooked breakfast will be served by your host family.

7.45 AM: You will set out to your placement. Work and hours will depend on the tasks you will be performing at the placement.

12.00 PM: It is lunch time; you can choose to have lunch with your new colleagues or join your host family for a hearty Sri Lankan lunch.

3.00 PM: Work officially ends around this time, and you have the rest of the day to check out the beaches or the local community around you.


Medical Volunteering Sri Lanka: Program Dates

Program Dates

IFRE programs begin every Monday year-round. If you have travel constraints, you can still start your chosen program on any day of the year.

Our Fees

Since 2006, IFRE has been the most trusted and respected volunteer abroad organization in the world, and also the most affordable. We’re dedicated to providing the highest quality volunteer programs at the lowest fees, which make it possible for everyone, especially students, to volunteer internationally and make a positive impact in the lives of others.

We believe in 100% transparency. Rest assured; we never use middlemen. Your one-time registration fee of $299 covers our administrative costs. The low weekly fee is paid in the host country directly to your host family and project (via country coordinator), and includes housing, food, and minor expenses. IFRE is a non-profit organization, so your program fees are tax deductible.

Volunteer Program Fees (US$)

Duration Medical
  1 Week    $380
  2 Weeks    $560
  3 Weeks    $740
  4 Weeks    $920
  5 Weeks    $1100
  6 Weeks    $1,280
  7 Weeks    $1,460
  8 Weeks    $1,640
  9 Weeks    $1,820
  10 Weeks    $2,000
  11 Weeks    $2,180
  12 Weeks    $2,360

Comprehensive Travel Insurance $3.49/day ( below 28 years) and $4.49/day ( above 28 years) »

Airport Pickup and Transfer to Galle (2 hours) $100/per person

Language and Culture $250

How your fee is allocated?

Program Fees Cover:

  • Accommodation (host family)
  • Food (only breakfast and dinnery)
  • Program Orientation
  • In-country support
  • Personalized project
  • Pre-departure information
  • Certificate of completion
  • Fundraising ideas and letters
  • Discount for returning volunteers

Program Fees Exclude:

  • Visas
  • Airfare
  • Personal expenses on soft drinks and foods
  • Daily transportation
  • Airport return transfer

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Accommodation and Meal

As a volunteer in Sri Lanka medical project a local family will host you throughout your stay. The family will provide you with a safe and comfortable home, as well as three local home-cooked meals per day (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner). Our host families are respected members of the community and they will welcome you to their home and teach you their culture and traditions as well as guide you and adjust you to your new life.

Read more about your meals and accommodation while volunteering in Sri Lanka.


Free Time and Weekends Exploration

In Sri Lanka it will not be all work with no play. You will volunteer from Monday to Friday for only 4-5 hours a day, meaning you will have a lot of free time to discover the beach town of Galle and all it has to offer. Over the weekend you will have two days to go on excursions and tours around the country, and you will be able to take a trip to Colombo City or even check other beaches in the major cities.

Read more about all the amazing places you can visit while volunteering in Sri Lanka.


Safety and In Country Support

IFRE has successfully and safely hosted over 22,000 volunteers in 20 countries. We always make sure that you are safe and secure while in Sri Lanka volunteering in our program. You can expect support from our in-country coordinator while working in our project and your host family will also provide you with a safe and secure home and help you to feel secure around the community.

Read more about our extensive safety precautions and in-country support in Sri Lanka.


Medical Volunteering Sri Lanka: FAQs:

Arrival and departure

Make sure to arrive at Colombo International Airport to participate in our Sri Lanka medical volunteer project. We recommend you reach Sri Lanka one day prior to your assignment’s start date.

We will provide airport pick up services for you, so ensure you share your final flight information with us after your ticketing process is completed. Our airport representative will pick you up at the airport and transfer to your placement.

At the end of the project we do not offer airport drop off services. However, your host family or your local coordinator will be happy to help you with this.

Visa

To travel to Sri Lanka, you will need Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Visa will not be issued on arrival, so make sure to secure a tourist visa before heading to Sri Lanka to participate in our Sri Lanka medical volunteer program. Visa extension is available at the Department of Immigration in Colombo. Please visit for more detailed information.

Vaccination

You need certain types of immunizations before heading to Sri Lanka for volunteering in our program. Please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Health Canada or in Travelers' Health United Kingdom for detailed information regarding required vaccinations to visit in Sri Lanka. Vaccinations against Yellow Fever, Diphtheria & Tetanus, Japanese Encephalitis, Hepatitis A and B, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Polio and Rabies are highly recommended.

For further readings:
Vaccination
Volunteer Health and Safety
Safety tips for your volunteer abroad trip

Why volunteer in a medical project in Sri Lanka?

Participating in the Sri Lanka medical program is a life changing hands-on experience for both you and the disadvantaged people of Sri Lanka.

You will make a difference in the life of deprived communities

By taking part in this project you will treat people, and help them improve their overall health situations which will have a real and valuable positive affect. Your efforts will make them aware of health issues and make a huge difference in the lives they lead.

You will take on a volunteering challenge

Medical volunteering program in Sri Lanka is the best platform to challenge yourself to try something different. By accepting the unforeseen challenges you will add to your personal goals and future vision. Besides that, the medical practice that you get will enhance your skills and discover the hidden talents that you possess.

You get to collaborate ideas with professional people

While helping people in need you will meet different kinds of healthcare professionals with whom you share ideas and come up with solutions for different health issues. It also allows you to form a community of informed people for generating newer ideas and plans that could help mankind in the near future.

You will have fun while doing something good

Volunteering in Medical projects Sri Lanka programs allows you to make a difference while surrounding yourself with others who are enthusiastic about the same cause. You have the opportunity to do something that interests you and that you find fulfilling.

Other Volunteer Opportunities in Sri Lanka

If you lack the medical requirements for this project but still want to volunteer in Sri Lanka, then don’t worry. You can partake in one of IFRE’s many projects in the country, such as

Working in an orphanage

Teaching English to poor children or Buddhist monks

Work with Elephants in Kegalle or

Pinnawala and much more.

Contact IFRE today to find out more!

Medical Volunteering Opportunities in Other Countries

Many people across the world are sadly lacking in access to healthcare. By joining one of our many medical projects around the world you can help solve this problem while gaining valuable hands-on experience. See the list below for some of our most popular medical programs throughout the world:

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