Why Do We Need Africa Christian Medical Missions?
Because there is a chronic and urgent shortage of physicians in Africa, Christian medical missions on the continent are incredibly important. Up-to-date numbers are difficult to confirm, but in 2013, Nigeria—Africa’s most populous country—had fewer than 1,000 obstetricians to meet the needs of the 172-million-person population where the average woman has about five babies. Malawi, a country of around 19 million people, had only 284 doctors in 2016.[1]
These shocking numbers led Western Christian organizations to send doctors to the continent to help treat patients, but that was a very temporary, unsustainable solution. The missionary doctors would serve under difficult circumstances, working on enormous numbers of cases. One doctor recalled, “It was me serving a population of 50,000 people. I just did what I could do; whatever I couldn’t do just didn’t get done.” Eventually, the missionary doctors would retire or want to return home, and there were never enough new doctors arriving to help fill the vacated positions.
Thus, it began to seem that the best solution would be to train African doctors to meet the needs. There are challenges to training national physicians, such as the temptation they may face to work in America or another country where they can make more money. They also encounter problems with infrastructure and travel in remote areas. However, African doctors working in Africa have distinct advantages. They know the local culture and speak the language, which establishes trust between them and patients quickly and makes patients more comfortable.[2]
Many organizations understand the power of national workers and are focusing on training more of them. GFA World has taken a big step in this area by beginning to build a 450-bed hospital, medical school and training center in Kigali, Rwanda, where new African doctors and nurses will be trained to serve the poorest of the poor. When it is ready (planned for completion in late 2025), the hospital will be one of the biggest and best-equipped facilities in Africa, and the healthcare workers trained in Rwanda will lay the foundation for long-term community transformation.[3]
Consider partnering with GFA World as we continue building the hospital and establishing Christian medical missions. Africa desperately needs better healthcare and more doctors, and we are working to meet that need. Any amount you give can help us establish the hospital, which will spread the love of God by providing lifesaving tools and care to those who desperately need it.[4]
Learn more about Christian medical missions, Africa and beyond![1] “The New Face of Medical Missions.” Accessed December 25, 2024. https://legacy.ippmedia.com/en/features/new-face-medical-missions.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “GFA World Launches Multi-Specialty Hospital in East Africa.” Patheos. May 7, 2024. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/gospelforasia/2024/05/never-seen-suffering-on-this-scale-global-organization-launches-multi-specialty-hospital-in-east-africa.
[4] “Rwanda Medical Mission.” GFA World. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/radio/hospital.