See The Need!

Through my experiences in a village medical clinic, I realized that village medical clinics are a great help to people both physically and spiritually.

Many people may ask “What is a village medical clinic?” For me a village medical clinic is a clinic in a remote area where sick people can come and get medical help. In February of 2013, I spent one month in a village medical clinic in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. The place where I went in Papua New Guinea, Kotidanga, was a one week hike to the nearest hospital. If the people in the village of Kotidanga got sick or were injured, it would take a grueling one week hike to Port Moresby, the nearest city with a hospital. The village medical clinic that I that I helped in, not only served the local community, but

also served surrounding villages. This village medical clinic in the mountains of Papua New Guinea provided first aid, baby immunizations, pre-natal care, family planning, a milk baby program, and airplane transport to the nearest hospital. People in remote areas often suffer and die because there is no one to help meet their basic first aid needs.

The Village medical clinic is also a place where sanitation, cleanliness and prevention of illnesses are taught. One of the basic problems that clinic workers can help with in the villages is to teach about clean water. According to Massai Association, an estimated 1.1 billion people, one out of six, live without clean water. While 3,900 children in developing countries die every day from water borne diseases such as cholera. Many villagers needlessly get sick because they have no knowledge of hygiene In the book “Where There Is No Doctor”, it encourages village health workers to help the people by teaching hygiene. In many places, health workers make latrines for the people to use. They also teach the people individually about taking a bath, washing their hands, wearing shoes, brushing their teeth, cleaning their houses, drinking clean water, eating good food, and not allowing pigs in their houses.

In Papua New Guinea it is very common to see pigs in the people’s houses. One afternoon, the missionary pilot had to fly a little baby to the hospital in Port Moresby because there was pig that got so hungry, the pig tore off the face of a little baby that was playing on the floor. Pigs can also transport many diseases such as Campylobacteriosis, according to CDC Campylobacteriosis is an infection of the intestines caused by a bacterium called Campylobacter. The bacteria are commonly found in the feces of infected animals and in food products contaminated with the bacteria during processing or preparation.

Another way medical clinics help the people in their villages is by offering low cost or free immunizations. According to Southern Sudan Health Care Organization 13.5% of Southern Sudanese children die before they are 5 years old, and only 2.7% of the children are immunized. In Uganda 1,950 children, under the age 15, do not have access to immunizations. In November, 2006, there was an outbreak of measles in the area of Paliau and Maar. “The Paliau health facility was endowed with only 200 doses of measles vaccinations and this was to be split between Maar and Paliau, a combined population of more than 10,000 people”. As a result, not all the children received vaccinations. Consequently, 50% of the cases that were recorded in Paliau ended in mortality.

Another important service that the village medical clinic provides is pre-natal and post-natal care. By Providing Pre-natal and Post-natal care the clinic can save many babies and their moms from illnesses. Many babies die from tetanus; tetanus comes from cutting the umbilical cord with a dirty knife. In many places such as Sudan, Papua New Guinea, and Ecuador mothers regularly give birth in the jungle. According to Southern Sudan Health Care Organization, Southern Sudan has the world’s worst maternal mortality rate at 2,054 per 100,000 live births. Only 13.9 percent of deliveries are witnessed by labor and delivery health workers. The lack of a maternity health center is also a problem in the community. As a result, women deliver in their houses with no little or no medical attention available. There are traditional midwives or Traditional Birth Attendants who assume the role of a delivery health worker in cases of easy and simple delivery’s. Unfortunately, the traditional midwives do not have the training or resources to handle complicated deliveries. As a result many deliveries are fatal.

Medical clinics help people around the world by giving medicine to sick people who would otherwise die or be permanently disabled. While there are many successful medical clinics around the world, there is still a need for more clinics and more trained health workers. According to the Mada Clinic, people in Madagascar walk up to a ten mile radius just to get medical care. While I was in Papua New Guinea, I met people who had walked two days just to get malaria medicine. Even though there are clinics many people still don’t get treated because there are so many people and not enough clinics. According to Southern Sudan Heath Care Organization the ratio of people to clinics in Sudan is 3,000 to 1. In Northern Afghanistan there is one clinic that serves 4,300 patients. According to Help2 Kids the ratio of patients to doctors in Malawi is 50,000 to 1.

Because there is no medical help, many people die every day. Many die from diseases that can be healed by medicine.

For many, even a little first aid would help. When I was in Papua New Guinea I met a boy that got a scratch on his leg from the grass where he was working. He didn’t know to clean the little scratch and it got infected. It became a huge sore that was oozing pus and blood. If the clinic wasn’t there to take care of his infected scratch, the infection would have gotten worse until maybe one day he would have lost his leg, or even his life.

My Burden

I want to start a medical clinic so I can help those who have no one else. I also want to share with them the saving grace of God’s love. By showing people that I care about their physical needs, I am showing them God’s love. And after their physical needs are taken care of, the people in the villages will be more open to the gospel. The village of Kotidanga, in Papua New Guinea, trusts Mrs. Allen explicitly. Mrs. Allen is the head of the clinic and she is always ready to help with any medical problem that the people may have. The Allen’s are known for their help. The missionary pilot does medevac’s, Mrs. Allen works in the clinic, and her husband drives the ambulance in emergencies. By helping the people in Kotidanga, the Allen’s have earned their trust. When an opportunity arises for the Allen’s to witness to the people, the people are very receptive to the gospel because the people already trust the Allens.

As you can see there is a great need for the village medical clinic in remote places all over the world. Not many people are willing to care for people in remote places. There is the dirt and the poverty and lack of modern conveniences. However, I see the need for people to go and share the gospel with those who may have no other chance to hear. I believe God has put it in my heart to do just that. I want to help those sick and dying people and share with them God’s love before it is too late.

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