Empowering physicians around the world – Dr. Mikolajczyk’s story
Dr. Mikolajczyk is pictured (on the telehealth device) consulting with Dr. Sanjida, a local physician at HOPE Hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Dr. Dorota Mikolajczyk is a Polish internal medicine physician with years of experience providing medical care via telehealth in underserved areas. Her experience highlighted “the diversity of healthcare resources in the world…and how to be creative when resources are scarce.” With her knowledge about telehealth and experience working in impoverished areas, Dr. Mikolajczyk provides immense value to World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) as a volunteer.
She began her journey with telehealth in 2012 by working for an international assistance company in China, where she provided virtual health services across Asia. “When I moved to China after studying medicine in Western Europe, I realized how privileged I had been so far, and how diverse healthcare settings could be…I think that was a realization moment. That’s when healthcare in the world became very interesting to me.”
As a WTI volunteer, Dr. Mikolajczyk shares her medical expertise with two hospitals in Bangladesh: HOPE Hospital in Cox’s Bazar and HOPE Field Hospital in the Rohingya refugee camp. She enjoys volunteering for WTI because “its about empowering local communities and physicians. We know the situation in the Rohingya refugee camp is challenging and the healthcare providers there are doing great work…It is very humbling to support them.” Dr. Mikolajczyk engages in weekly telehealth consultations at the two hospitals and works together with the on-site physicians to treat patients.
Dr. Mikolajczyk is now a physician in Vietnam for Teladoc Health who sees patients from all over the world via telehealth. Volunteering with WTI enriches her work at Teladoc Health. “All the time spent volunteering with WTI is beneficial for my colleagues in Bangladesh and for me because the consultations are purely stimulating. I get to think with them and discuss how to best treat this patient.”
When asked what compelled her about WTI’s mission, she said “you can pass on your knowledge for free. There’s no cost involved for anybody, there’s only benefits. It’s a win-win situation. I get to share my knowledge, and somebody gets to benefit from it.” The WTI team is grateful to Dr. Mikolajczyk for her dedication to serving patients and supporting healthcare providers in Bangladesh. It is passionate volunteers like her that make our programs possible.
Dr. Mikolajczyk (on the telehealth device) works with Dr. Sanjida (left) to treat a patient at HOPE Hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.