Special Note: We are currently sourcing a programme to allow us to offer an option for Indonesian translation of the website. Meanwhile we have had some of the website translated into Indonesian Bahasa, and this will follow the English version in the interim.
Welcome to TroppoDoc.com
Dr Derek Allen is a doctor based in Indonesia who has chosen to work in the third world to help poor people in Vanuatu, Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Indonesia.
He finds his work challenging, interesting, and self-fulfilling and wonders why more people aren’t doing it.
Dr Derek is very enthusiastic about introducing other people to the third world and getting them involved in various
projects.
To see what Dr Derek is doing please check the website regularly and feel free to
contact us with any questions you might have.
We are always looking for people to come and help from any walk of life with any skills, medical or non-medical. Volunteers are important and very useful in life-saving work. They are warmly welcomed for any length of time they wish to come and help in the poor areas of the world where Derek works. Usually people find that the time they spend helping the poor is always too short – Derek finds that, and he has been doing
this type of work for 20yrs plus now. So if you volunteer for a day, a week, a month, a year or more, you will probably find that you will wish to stay even longer. If you are interested in helping us in any way please go to the “
Volunteer Database” page and register. This is non-binding, and ensures you will receive newsletters, as well as providing numbers for help with funding, etc. If you can come and volunteer, and have a choice of dates to come, please co-ordinate with Margaret (
margaret@troppodoc.com) so she can suggest the most ideal dates - especially if you would like to time your travel to/into Indonesia with another volunteer, or Derek, or go at a time when there are no other/fewer volunteers. We need to know numbers of who is going and when, so Derek can be preparing for larger or smaller groups, thereby ensuring each volunteer has a quality time.
Dr Derek is also in desperate need for
sponsorship in urgent projects.
Communication: Derek really enjoys communicating and responding to people directly, but email access is usually only about once a month when he is in Indonesia. However, he can be contacted directly by phone or txt most of the time -
contact us . For urgent email enquiries, or are unable to contact Derek, please contact Margaret.
Memperkenalkan Derek Allen
Selamat Datang Kepada TroppoDoc.com
Dokter Derek Allen adalah seorang dokter yang berlokasi di Indonesia. Dia telah memilih untuk bekerja membantu memerangi kemiskinan di Vanuatu, Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Africa dan Indonesia.
Dia menemukan bahwa pekerjaannya menatang, menarik dan disanalah dia menemukan jati diringa dan bertanya kenepa banyak orang tidak melakukannya.
Dokter Derek sangat anthusias memperkenalkan orang-orang kepada negara-negara miskin dan melibatkan mereka pada proyek – proyek yang bervariasi.
Untuk melihat apa yang Dokter Derek sedang lakukan, anda dapat melihat pada regular website dan merasa bebas untuk menghubung kami dengan pertanyaan yang mau kamu ajukan.
Kami selalu mencari orang untuk dating dan membantu dengan keahlian apa saja, medical atau non-medical.
Jika kamu tertarik untuk membantu kami, anda bias ketik ke “Volunteer Database”.
Dokter Derek juga didalam keadaan putus asa untuk mencari sumbangan pada project – project penting. Kunjungi project page untuk keterangan lebih lanjut.
Komunikasi: Derek senang sekali berkomunikasi dengan orang – orang dan memberi secara langsung, teapi akses email biasanya hanya sekali sebulan ketika dia berada di Indonesia Namun, dia dapat dihubungi melaului telefon setiap saat. Hubungi kami untuk email penting atau jika Derek tidak terhubungi silakan menghubungi Margaret.
Latest Updates
It is going to take approx USD$8-9,000 to expediate the helicopter release. If anyone would like to contribute towards helping get the helicopter released, could they please contact Margaret: margaret@troppodoc.com With the helicopter released and flight approval, I will be able to provide a more frequent and regular healthcare service to the people in the widespread archipelago of Pulau Pulau Batu. (Tello Islands), where boat travel between some islands is infrequent and can take more than 6hrs for a single journey.
I have been invited to work in Burkina Faso for a month, which is the 2nd poorest country in the world. Am going with Bronwyn McBain, a frequent volunteer with TroppoDoc. We will be working in two hospitals serving more than 50,000 people each – no doctors, staffed by nurses. Refer to: www.tropponurse.com I will return to Medan on 31st of July to meet up with more volunteers and then we will all travel back to Tello on 1st August.
2/7/08
Troppodoc is marching into Africa!!!
Bronwyn and I have arrived safely in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
We need to sort out our visas before travelling to our first place of work.
3/7/08
Bronwyn and I needed to wait a day in Ouagadougou for our visas.
Up early this morning. Now only 6am and just starting a 10hr 4WD trip to East Burkina Faso to get to our first work place.
All good!!!
For previous updates visit Derek's Journal Page.
"Surgeon's Gift"
The TVNZ Close Up programme featuring Dr Mark Izzard’s life changing work with me in Tello, featured on Friday 4th April. (TVNZ Close Up. Friday 4 April – “Surgeon’s Gift”). For those of you who missed it, you can visit: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/465467/1686452
Mark is a very talented surgeon and did some amazing work in Tello, with incredible life changing results for some patients.
TroppoDoc Helicopter
Derek aboard his TroppoDoc Helicopter
Helicopter currently sits poised on the front courtyard of the Tello Police Station, awaiting authorisation from the DGAC (Director General of Air Communication) to grant flight approval for this dedicated humanitarian helicopter. We are hoping for flight approval to be granted very soon.
Volunteer Information....
We are always looking for people to come and help from any walk of life with any skills, medical or non-medical. Volunteers are important and very useful in life-saving work. They are warmly welcomed for any length of time they wish to come and help in the poor areas of the world where Derek works. Usually people find that the time they spend helping the poor is always too short – Derek finds that, and he has been doing this type of work for 20yrs plus now. So if you volunteer for a day, a week, a month, a year or more, you will probably find that you will wish to stay even longer. If you are interested in helping us in any way please go to the “Volunteer Database” page and register. This is non-binding, and ensures you will receive newsletters, as well as providing numbers for help with funding, etc. If you can come and volunteer, and have a choice of dates to come, please co-ordinate with Margaret (margaret@troppodoc.com) so she can suggest the most ideal dates - especially if you would like to time your travel to/into Indonesia with another volunteer, or Derek, or go at a time when there are no other/fewer volunteers. We need to know numbers of who is going and when, so Derek can be preparing for larger or smaller groups, thereby ensuring each volunteer has a quality time.
If you would like to go and work with Dr. Derek Allen and TroppoDoc, here is some information.
TroppoDoc needs people with enthusiasm to help Dr. Derek in clinics, Public Health teaching in water harvesting projects….
The most economical way to Dr. Derek is to fly to Singapore with either Air New Zealand/ Qantas/ Emirates/ Singapore Airlines/ Brunei... shop around. From Singapore, either fly to Medan or Padang. Or, a cheaper option is to catch a ferry to Batam and then fly on less expensive domestic Indonesian flights to Medan or Padang. From there travel can be organized to Nias or Tello.
Derek is happy to come and meet people in Medan or Padang if needed. Although if possible, people finding their own way to Derek’s workplace will save Derek money and time, both of which relate to saving lives opportunities. Contact Margaret (
margaret@troppodoc.com) for contact details to book your flights to Tello from Medan or Padang. That way you can fly to Medan and straight to Tello, or fly to Padang and straight to Tello, where Derek can meet you.
Indonesia, where Dr. Derek works, is full of Malaria, Dengue Fever and Tuberculosis. Bring a Pyrethrin impregnated mosquito net and plenty of insect repellant, and of course light summer clothes, as Tello is on the equator and temperatures night and day are 25 degrees C to 35 degrees C. You will be protected from TB by your basic good nutrition and good health.
For your health bring malaria prophylaxis meds, such as Doxycycline 100mg tablets daily, to be started 2 days prior to arrival, and to take for 4wks after departure, and of course every day in between. Hepatitis A and B vaccine might be useful, as also is being up to date on Tetanus and Polio.
Travel insurance is an option and of course Dr. Derek will look after your wellness needs in the same highly professional way he looks after the poor people he works amongst.
Dr. Derek works in many ways… different hats like, so he might be on island clinics at Pulau Pulau Batu, or in the Tello town, government health clinic (Puskesmas), or at Sorake Beach health clinic, or travelling to Amandraya to help Extremely Vulnerable Individuals from a population of 32,000 who are sick. Or he might be transporting sick children to P. Siantar for donated surgery. So if you want to see and help him, there might be some travel from worksite to worksite, inexpensive, but time-consuming none-the-less.
Food is excellent in Indonesia, as long as you enjoy rice or noodles, and Dr. Derek will take you to reputable eating-houses, or at least one's that are open.
If you can bring supplies with you, all is appreciated…. medicines, of course, medical equipment, school resources, clothes for the poor children etc, etc.… These people are very needy and very grateful for any gift.
Indonesia uses the Indonesia rupiah, around 10,000 to 1 US dollar. Meals are often 6,000 rupiah, accomodation is USD$2.50 a night for a twin bed room at the guesthouse in Tello.
Tourist visa is purchased on arrival in Indonesia, at a cost of USD$25.00 for a month, and bringing recent or good condition (unmarked or without blemish) USD$100 are the currency of choice for the money changers in Medan/ Padang/ Gunung Sitoli. Costs in the country are very low…. travel, food, accommodation and drinks.
Important: this is a warm country and once here one should expect and plan to drink 4 litres of water per day, clean water is easily available at many stores.
Last Updated: 3/07/2008 7:31:00 p.m.
