Having worked previously in Africa, she has since
felt a calling to devote the rest of her working life
to the continent, sharing her skills and making a
contribution to improving the health and wellbeing
of women and their families.
Originally from the Netherlands, she trained as
a doctor in Rotterdam, qualifying in1985, and
came to the UK in 1988. She did her postgraduate
training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
in the Manchester area and is currently
working as a non-consultant specialist in North
Manchester.
It has been a life-long desire to work in a
developing country for Corrie and as a student
she did a five-month elective period in South
India. Then, in 2007, she decided to take time
out of her job and worked for two years as a
volunteer for VSO in Tanzania. There she worked
in a rural hospital, with very limited resources, as
head of the HIV services and head of maternity
care.
As in many hospitals in East-Africa, she was the
only university trained doctor in the hospital.
It made her more aware of the need of many
African countries for skilled medical staff. The
rate of mother dying in childbirth in most of
Africa is approximately 50 times higher than in
the UK. Most of those are preventable with easy
and low cost interventions. It is one of the WHO
(World Health Organisation) millennium goals to
reduce maternal mortality.
In her spare time Corrie likes singing and
listening to classical music, hill walking and
travelling.
For more information contact:
Links Adviser, Church Mission Society
Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ.
Tel: 01865 787524
Email: julie.hinckley@cms-uk.org