It should come as no surprise that most third world developing nations are in desperate need of healthcare programs to serve the millions of people who simply have no financial resources. In fact, some countries are so poor that few people actually have the wherewithal to go to school, let alone to university to learn a profession. These are the very same nations that are lacking professionals with an MPH degree, so if you are looking to put your master of public health degree to work while seeing a bit of the world, you might want to consider the following countries.

Sub-Saharan African Nations And the Aids Epidemic

In early 2001, almost two decades ago, there were more than 36 million people suffering from HIV/Aids in the sub-Saharan countries of Africa. This number has obviously grown over the past 16 years but the sad part about the whole AIDS epidemic there is the fact that these are some of the poorest nations on earth. Whether you are working on your public health degree online or have recently graduated, Africa is in need of qualified public health professionals who are able to educate people on how to prevent the spread of AIDS and how to live with it if you are already infected.

India In Greatest Need Of Public Health Professionals

According to the World Health Organization, India needs a minimum of 10,000 public health professionals each and every year to serve the needs of its people. As the second most populous nation on earth, that number is expected to grow exponentially. Consider the fact that the 4th leading cause of death in India is diarrheal disease probably caused from infectious dysentery which in turn is cause from unsanitary living conditions, especially tainted water, and you will understand the need for qualified public health officials to serve the poorest of the poor.

Vietnam No Longer War Torn but Nonetheless in Perpetual Poverty

There was a time in the latter part of the last century when Vietnam experienced extreme poverty due to being decimated by war. The poverty most people lived in made it impossible to receive medical care and potable water was literally non-existent in outlying regions. Even cities had issues with safe drinking water and although large metropolitan areas like Hanoi have seen improvements, rural areas are still plagued by oftentimes avoidable epidemics. If you’d like to see the real Southeast Asia, working your way through Vietnam as a professional with a masters in public health would give you a perspective on what the truly poor people of the world experience day in and day out.

Many new graduates opt to take their online public health degree to developing nations because of their commitment to serve. Public health is in crisis in most places around the world so this is one way to experience life in other cultures while serving their needs. From helping to prevent the spread of disease to offering services to those already infected, public health is a rewarding career and one that you can take almost anywhere you travel.