This story is written by Dr Brendan Petersen – General medical doctor at the Good News Hospital
From July 2023 onwards, the medical team, that is to say the doctors looking after the non-surgical patients, at the Good News Hospital will be very short staffed. It will be so critical that it might even result in the closure of one or more of the services on the medical side of the hospital. There are four general medical doctors who are currently serving here, who will be gone by July – either they will be finishing their time here or they will be going on home assignment by late June. This will leave a huge gap, and while we are actively seeking Malagasy doctors to join our team at the hospital, we would appreciate your prayers (and possible willingness to serve) for the Lord to supply us with enough doctors for the staffing of the medical department.
So, what does a medical doctor actually do at the Good News Hospital? Well, here is a snapshot from a recent day in which I was on call:
My work day starts in our outpatient department. As a GP, this is somewhat within my comfort zone! Coughs, colds, chickenpox, but with the occasional surprise thrown into the mix. This could be a child with cerebral palsy, who has been undiagnosed for 5 years. Or perhaps a young lady with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The case that stood out from this day was a 2-year-old who shockingly weighed less than 6kg. Chronically malnourished, suffering from chronic respiratory illness and diarrhoea, we were able to have them admitted and cared for and it’s a relief and joy to say that they’re progressing well.
As I was on call, I was also covering our medical ward (22 inpatient beds) and the neonates on the maternity ward (14 beds, but potentially more babies than that – 8 sets of twins were born in January alone!) for the afternoon and night. We are very grateful for the hard work and support of the nursing and midwifery staff, who make it possible to give good care to these patients. Fortunately for me, the evening wasn’t too busy.
But the night was another story! A young man in his 20’s arrived during the night, having come from Mananara on Madagascar’s east coast. This is about 67 miles as the crow flies, but people have to walk. There is no road through this rain-forest covered escarpment. This means a 3-5 day journey on foot. This sounds difficult at the best of times, but more so for this young man who had undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, and arrived at our hospital acutely unwell with ketoacidosis. There was quite a lot to do that night – but this is why we are here! With prompt and compassionate care, it has been great to see his recovery. Not only that, but we will continue to journey with him, as he comes regularly for follow up, allowing an incredible opportunity for us to share with him God’s story of salvation in Jesus Christ.
These are just some of the highlights from one day here in Mandritsara. There are many more stories - both of joy and of heartbreak - that we have the privilege to be a part of. However, we need a medical team with a minimum of 3 full time doctors to sustain our current level of care.
Would you join us as we pray this prayer:
Heavenly Father and Lord of the Harvest,
We thank you and praise you for your work in Mandritsara and beyond over so many years.
We echo the cries of our Malagasy brothers and sisters as they long to see Your kingdom come and your will done in this place - Mandritsara.
We pray for daily bread for hungry stomachs, and ultimately for Jesus, the bread of life, to satisfy the eternal longing in each of us for You.
And we pray for workers - specifically for medical doctors, Malagasy and those from overseas - to allow the work of the hospital to continue, to care compassionately, and to bring Good News to those in need.
In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen
If you are a doctor and feel that God may be calling you to serve in Mandritsara for a short term or for a lifetime, please contact us.
Update from Ted Watts (13 March 2023):
“We have just welcomed a new Malagasy junior doctor (Dr Desiré - male), and interviewed and appointed a Dr Mbola (also male) today. Encouraging answers to prayer!”