Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, King's College London Dental Institute, Guy's Hospital, London.
Br Dent J. 2010 Feb 27;208(4):179-82. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2010.159.
There is a long tradition in medicine and dentistry to support medical missions in developing countries where health care is limited. These journeys facilitate the spread of knowledge and can be voyages of self-discovery. In the past it has been customary to bring patients to developed countries for treatment. This policy has proved expensive as the medical costs incurred to treat a single patient in the UK can match the cost of sending a ten unit surgical team abroad for two weeks. 50 patients may be treated in this period of time so the pattern of practice is now for teams of healthcare workers to move to areas of need rather than the other way round.
在医学和牙科领域，有一个悠久的传统，即为医疗资源有限的发展中国家提供医疗服务。这些医疗服务不仅促进了知识的传播，也为志愿者提供了自我发现的机会。过去，人们常常将患者带到发达国家进行治疗。但这种做法成本高昂，因为在英国治疗单个患者的医疗费用可能与派遣一个十人的外科手术团队出国两周的费用相当。在这段时间内，可能会治疗 50 名患者，因此现在的做法是让医护人员团队前往有需要的地区，而不是相反。
