Dr. Anthony Jahn is a familiar name to CS readers. An otolaryngologist and specialist in health care for singers, he has contributed for years to The New York Opera Newsletter and Classical Singer, answering readers’ questions and passing along information on any number of health problems, from nodes and the stresses of speaking on the singing voice, to this month’s column on headaches.
But you may not know that Dr. Jahn does more than lend his medical expertise on behalf of singers. He’s recently returned from his third visit to Thailand, where he volunteers his skills to help residents in rural areas.
Jahn began volunteer medical work in rural Thai villages about 10 years ago, when Dr. Salyaveth Lekagul, a Bangkok ear specialist, invited Jahn and a Canadian colleague to join his mobile ear clinic. Venturing deep into the most rural and isolated areas of Thailand, the mobile clinic’s mission is to diagnose and treat ear disease in villagers, who might otherwise have no options for treatment. After arriving in one of the small towns, the doctors typically set up the clinic at a local hospital, and spend one to two days operating on patients—many of whom may have had ear infections for years.
Many physicians use their vacation time to do volunteer work. On his most recent trip, while operating in Hat Yai, in southern Thailand, Jahn met an anesthetist who spends one month a year volunteering at a teaching hospital in Bangkok. On previous visits to the Northeast, he worked with other American volunteer dcctors in a Hmong refugee camp.
Severe and life-threatening ear diseases have decreased immensely among the rural Thai, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Jahn, Dr. Lekagul, and other talented physicians, some of whom spend their retirement years volunteering all over the world. There are some advantages to volunteering in a remote country, Jahn says. “You can do a lot of good with relatively little money.”
But the need for qualified doctors in these remote villages is tremendous. “The biggest problem for me is canceling my office for two weeks,” Jahn admits. “Singers normally don’t want to wait, and often need to be seen within one or two days. I always try to set up good coverage with other physicians before I go on my trips.”
When asked what he finds most memorable about his visits, Jahn says, “It’s a completely different experience to become personally involved. You’re giving something that donations can’t buy, and getting back a tremendous amount of satisfaction. It has rejuvenated our commitment to medicine, and reminded all of us why we became physicians in the first place. The patients are grateful, and honor us with their gratitude. This is our reimbursement.”
Sometimes we forget that there are so many needy people all over the world—people in need of basic medical treatment. We get caught up in our daily dramas, not thinking of the many things we do have. It’s people like Dr. Jahn who remind us to take time out of our busy lives, and try to make a difference in this world.
