Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone may request an appointment at a GHS Clinic, and, in most cases, a physician's referral is not required. When you call or submit an online appointment request, GHS appointment staff will advise you if a referral is needed.

GHS Clinics offer appointments based on the severity and acuity of a patient's condition. Appointment coordinators do their best to build schedules that allow our staff to best meet the needs of patients.

Scheduling an appointment before traveling is strongly encouraged. We can't always guarantee that you'll be seen if you come without an appointment.

The length of your appointment schedule depends on the number of tests and consultations needed for your condition. Sometimes, length of stay cannot be predicted in advance. Our processes and systems are designed to be highly efficient. Many of our patients tell us they are surprised by how quickly they can move from test to test and appointment to appointment. GHS appointment staff schedule your appointments in the most efficient and convenient manner possible.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, if needed one relative may accompany you to your outpatient appointments. Visitor policy exceptions may be made for end-of-life care, patients who are minors and other rare and unique circumstances as assessed by the care team. For some exams and diagnostic tests, your relative may be asked to remain in the waiting room. Visitors may not be permitted in GHS Clinics.

GHS Clinics do not offer child care for patients. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, please do not bring children under age 13 unless they are actively receiving care. For pediatric patients, a single parent or guardian is encouraged whenever possible, but a second parent or guardian may be allowed when essential for care.

GHS Clinics encourage patients to bring all recent, pertinent medical records, including:

• Medical summary
• X-ray films or a CD with radiology studies
• Pathology slides and reports
• List of current medications

If you are referred to a GHS Clinic by your physician, he or she will generally send your records ahead of time.

Generally, our patients obtain their medical records from their local providers. If additional records are needed once you are here, GHS may contact your provider. You will be asked to sign a consent form to release your records.

Sierra Leone, a West African nation that has endured colonialism, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and civil war, has only 3 psychiatrists for its population of over 8 million. The country also has only one hospital dedicated to mental health care: PIH-supported Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in Mexico. PIH, known locally as Compañeros En Salud, is enlisting the help of community health workers to respond to diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases in the rural, mountainous Sierra Madre of Chiapas. Community health workers are local residents hired and trained to provide medications, emotional support, accompaniment to appointments, and other health services.

Just a little over a decade ago, cancer care was nearly nonexistent in Rwanda, leaving patients with nowhere to go for care and treatment, including chemotherapy. In 2011, PIH broke ground on Butaro District Hospital in partnership with the Ministry of Health and, the following year, opened Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence. These programs have since enrolled more than 14,000 patients and provided care for over 20 types of cancer.

Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, despite treatment being available in wealthy countries. As part of the endTB project, PIH has continued its decades-long TB work by helping patients access shorter, less toxic treatment regimens through observation studies and clinical trials. The project works in 17 countries where the multidrug-resistant form of the disease is prevalent, including Peru, Lesotho, and Kazakhstan.

At least half of the world’s population lacks access to basic health services, such as immunization and family planning. PIH’s medical care and social support are crucial to helping patients access the care they need, from community health workers knocking on doors to mobile clinics visiting rural communities. Also critical is PIH’s partnership with governments to strengthen public health systems and advocacy at the local, national, and global levels.

The vast majority of maternal deaths happen in the Global South. In Sierra Leone, for example, a woman has a 1 in 20 lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth. These inequities make maternal health vital to PIH’s work around the world, from lifesaving c-sections to facility-based deliveries to dignified childbirth with traditional midwives.