When Dr. Christian Hartmann received the request to become part of the Artemed Stiftung team for the Street Doctors in Bolivia, the urologist from Freiburg was immediately clear: definitely! As one of the first volunteers from the Loretto Hospital in Freiburg, he made his way to La Paz for Artemed Stiftung .
For some time, Dr. Hartmann had been thinking about using his medical expertise to volunteer where help is greatly needed. South America was at the top of his list. Not only because support is urgently needed there, but also because he had already gained some experience in these countries through internships and work shadowing in Chile and Mexico. The fact that he also speaks fluent Spanish made him particularly qualified for an assignment in Bolivia.
So it was quickly decided that he, together with Dr. Benjamin Behar (Managing Director Artemed SE) and Dominik Lünstroth (Managing Director St. Josefskrankenhaus Heidelberg), would be one of three participants flying to La Paz with Artemed Stiftung in October 2022. The main task was to strengthen communication with the Bolivian team: Two years of forced breaks due to the coronavirus have made mutual visits impossible, so it was time to see on site how the work and the organization function.
Together with the Bolivian team, consisting of a general practitioner, dentist, paramedic and chauffeur, he drove to a house where shoeshine boys were accommodated. The visit made a lasting impression on him: "It was absolutely fascinating to see the discipline with which the many children lined up neatly in a row and waited for their treatment. Knowing full well that they probably wouldn't all get their turn. I particularly remember one little boy: he was just ten years old and worked with his brothers as a shoeshine boy to earn some money for his school education. He earned two to three euros per Tag . His hands and all his clothes were incredibly dirty. Nevertheless, this boy was full of pride! I'll never forget the way he showed me his box of shoeshine kits, beaming all over his face! It hurt my heart to see how happy he is and on the other hand to know how many difficulties this child has and how many obstacles he will encounter in his life."
In addition to the work with the Street Doctors, a visit to the Arco Iris Hospital, the Street Doctors' partner organization, and an appointment at the German Embassy were also on the agenda. There were also meetings with the 84-year-old founder of the Street Doctors, Pastor Josef Neuenhofer. "This appointment particularly impressed me personally. The story he has to tell is very touching."
Dr. Hartmann returned to Freiburg with many ideas and suggestions for improvement. These are now being implemented step by step to improve the care of the street children in La Paz. When asked whether he would go to Bolivia again, he just laughed and said: "Of course! And I would like to do so much more for the initiative."
