Why mission hospitals are valuable.
- They provide a focus of expertise
- expertise from accumulated knowledge and experience
- expertise from international short- and long-term personnel
- expertise from mission IT and information access
- They provide a focus for training
- training in curative & preventative, public health & community
- training for doctors, paramedics and managers
- training in attitudes of compassion and service
- They provide a focus for witness
- witness to patients, eg literacy classes, charity fund
- witness to community and church, eg social action programmes
- witness to governments and other aid agencies, eg rural priority
- Weaknesses in the mission hospital concept
- sustainability (but is this an appropriate criterion for mission anyway?)
- non-integration of services (need for government to govern)
- non-accountability to local communities (need for participation)
- Mission hospitals: the way forward
- re-focus supporting agencies and donors to the long term
- listen to local stakeholders for locally appropriate futures
- be pro-active to affirm their place in the health system and place in the Kingdom strategy
Missions cannot afford NOT to have mission hospitals.
