Japanese International Volunteer Activities for Medical Aid -Chairman's Introductory Remarks

We held a symposium on international volunteer activities for medical support in foreign countries at the 62nd annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine. Here, we introduce two well-known international volunteer groups, the Peshawar-kai and Rocinantes. The two groups have continued various forms of medical assistance for a long time in Afghanistan and Sudan, respectively, where medical services are severely lacking. In this symposium, we would like to consider what is required in the countries, what is being done there, why they continue their activities, how we can support them, and, finally, what is the true goal of medical volunteer activities.