Exciting Developments in Nepal
After a most thrilling and blessed Asia Pacific Regional ICMDA Conference in New Delhi, India (20-24 October) it was a great joy for Priscilla and me to travel together with some of the 10 Nepali delegates who were returning home. All stress of travel to Kathmandu for us was relieved as we relaxed with newly found friends and followers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We arrived in Kathmandu on Monday afternoon (25 Oct) to be quickly whisked away to drop luggage at the TEAM Guest House before heading for the hills and the country. An evening in the Hostel at Nakargot, high above Kathmandu with its superb view of the snow capped Himalayas and Mt Everest in the distance, provided a time of quiet reflection and of talk about things ICMDA and the newly formed Nepal CMDA. A midmorning meeting in Patan Hospital in Kathmandu brought 32 supporters and members of the NCMDA together to share in a time of fellowship and mutual encouragement. This was an opportunity for the ICMDA to share its vision and mission in the world.
During our time in Kathmandu we were made aware that Hospitals under Mission management were undergoing changes. The Government of Nepal is negotiating the taking over or handing over of their administration to other structures. Much prayer is called for as new opportunities are presented in paving the way forward.
Dr Arjun Karki has the passion for the establishment of a medical school based on the Patan Hospital model. The vision is for an autonomous, self sustaining academic institution of higher learning dedicated to improving the health status of the people of Nepal, especially those who are poor and living in remote rural areas. Should anyone reading this sense a call to be part of this challenging venture, please make contact with us at icmda@webstormsa.co.za
We left Nepal rejoicing that plans for outreach and growth in Nepal are mushrooming. Please pray for our Christian colleagues in Nepal as they witness together in the Kingdom.
Daryl Hackland
Email: webstormsa.co.za
ICMDA Eurasia
Letters of appreciation and thanks continue to come in from those who attended the ICMDA Eurasia conference in Krelingen. I am often asked to pass on thanks to donors who made it possible for students and doctors to receive bursary grants and so be able to attend the conference. It was money well spent. Two students independently said, ‘It was the best week of my life’.
In October SKLS, the Finnish CMF movement, held their 80th anniversary meeting. They are the second oldest movement in the world (after the Danish movement founded in 1897). They have over 1,000 members (in a country with a population of only a little over 5 million), but like many of us, not all members are active. There is still a strong interest in medical missions in Finland and it is encouraging to see, as elsewhere, growth and vigor among the student groups in Finland’s five medical schools.
Also in October the Estonian Christian Physicians’ Society (CMF equivalent in Estonia) held a day conference in Tartu, Estonia’s university city two hours’ drive South East of Tallinn. This was a first event for them outside of Tallinn and was aimed to attract the students a number of whom attended (including two who had been at Krelingen).
In November the Union Evangelique Medicale et Paramedicale (UEMP) in France held a regional day conference near to Rouen. In France also there is a renewed interest in the medical students. In Strasbourg there is a Christian group of over 60 in the medical school - a remarkable number for any French university. They deserve our prayers.
Peter Pattisson
Email: icmda@ukonline.co.uk
PRIME - Partnership in International Medical Education
An increasing number of CMF members are involved with PRIME which is a registered UK charity dedicated to improving standards of healthcare worldwide, with contacts in over 20 countries. It is particularly concerned to develop primary care overseas and aims to advance the cause of whole-person and patient-centered medical practice, promote co-operation and liaison between primary and secondary sectors and build frameworks for ethical decision making.
Teaching given by PRIME aims to motivate, empower and encourage participating doctors and other health care workers to be agents for change and improvement within their health care system and to facilitate the development of appropriate and effective delivery of health care, especially to the less privileged. PRIME has strong links with the Royal College of General Practitioners International Committee and the Postgraduate Medical School of Brighton University. Following on from the very successful conference on education that PRIME held at the recent ICMDA European Conference, it is hoped to establish a worldwide network of Christians involved at all levels in healthcare education, providing mutual support, resources and the sharing of ideas.
Teaching is from a Christian perspective of compassion and respect for the individual as a person made in the image of God, but courses are designed to be acceptable to and accessible by doctors and health care workers of other faiths or of none. Website: www.prime-international.org.uk or contact info@prime-international.com if you wish to know more or would like to support the work in anyway.
John Geater
