The hospital is part of a network, including development work in some villages. It also provides a training ground for those who need to complete medical placements. However, it is not government funded.

“The hospital runs on a private basis where the patients pay for treatment. However, those who can’t pay are supported by funding from overseas donors. This is necessary for patients who have to stay for a long time, such as those with burns,” Paula comments.

Patients are cared for holistically that brings honour to God.

“On the staff, there is a pastoral care team who will offer to pray with people. They are trained in pastoral care and include counsellors. There is also a chapel inside the hospital,” says Paula.

The road to a healing hospital

Paula’s journey to serving at the hospital as a doctor was a long journey which began in her childhood.

“I grew up in a Catholic home and it was there I would read missions magazines. I saw pictures of people in Africa, and at the age of ten, I decided I wanted to live for God by helping these people. That was why I studied medicine,” Paula reflects.

Earlier in her married life, doors were opening to serve overseas, however significant loss halted this plan.

“My husband and I were planning to go overseas with an organisation, when he became ill and passed away,” says Paula, “so I waited until my children had grown up and moved away from home. Then I began to talk to my pastor who had a lot of experience with mission agencies. He encouraged me to talk to SIM. I had also discovered the hospital by looking online.”

Her findings helped her to make some decisions and soon Paula headed over to serve at the hospital.

“I went for the first time in 2016 for one year and then ended up staying two years. I returned to New Zealand and was delayed by COVID. I eventually got back, intending to stay one year but stayed for another two. After that I came home and then returned once again – a total of five out of nine years!”

Paula faced many challenges that were both initial and ongoing.

“It was extremely challenging at the start. I hadn’t worked in a hospital in thirty-five years because until then, I had been a GP. It was humbling to not be very knowledgeable. I was meant to be training the local junior doctors, but here I was trying to learn everything myself! There were many questions. Where do we refer? Do we refer or not? What medicines do we have? We didn’t have a lot written down and limited facilities to investigate and diagnose,” comments Paula, “as doctors, we always worked in twos. I had to keep interrupting the other doctor to ask questions because of the language barriers. Gradually I got to the stage where I didn’t have to do this.”

There were also other tests to face.

“Language learning was also hard but that improved as the years went by. And there was also the heat from April to October associated with insect-related diseases and the need to dress appropriately for cultural reasons, despite the humidity. I never worked full-time in New Zealand, so to work full-time at the hospital with these challenges wasn’t easy. I really appreciated the prayers of my supporters at home and regarded them as vital in sustaining me there.”

Most of the staff at the hospital are local with a small, variable number of expats.

“It was a wonderful atmosphere working with both the Christian expats and locals. We would have these church services which we took turns leading. We were like a close-knit family who were very like-minded.”

As Paula reflects on her time working in the hospital, she is now looking forward to life back home in New Zealand.

“The work was very rewarding yet also incredibly hard. It was cognitively challenging. I depended on God so much more over there than here in New Zealand.”

Pray:

• Strength and discernment for the pastoral care team at the hospital, especially when helping with people in distress. Pray they would not burn out emotionally.
• Safety for the hospital team.
• More professionals to be called to go to the hospital (doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists).
• There will always be someone to tutor the children of expat staff.
• Transition back to life in New Zealand.

For more details about the hospital and a link to their website, email nz.editor@sim.org.