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Medical Surplus Yields Beds for Congo
CHICAGO, IL (September 20, 2004) - A group of longtime Evangelical Covenant
Church (ECC) missionaries recently inventoried equipment at Congo
medical hospitals supported by the ECC and not only identified many
needs, but moved aggressively to help fill the gap in at least one area
– a shortage of beds in Congo hospitals.
Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago is the most recent donor –
contributing 18 hospital beds that are being packed in medical
containers in Rockford, Illinois, for shipment to Congo. The Beds for
Congo program is a joint effort of the ECC and the Evangelical Free
Church, which are longtime partners in ministry to Congolese in the
Ubangi region.
Retired Covenant missionary Dr. Roger Thorpe said that a number of
options are being discussed in the effort to procure items on a "wish
list" that has been formed during the past year. This effort is an
important part of the Paul Carlson Partnership program that is dedicated
to addressing a variety of needs in the area of Congo served by the ECC.
"Since I went back to Congo in 2003, I was so impressed with the fact
that the doctors and nurses had continued the work, including the work
at the hospitals, at 74 rural centers and at a nursing center, which had
been upgraded to a four-year RN equivalent program," said Thorpe. "But I
was so discouraged at the lack of equipment and the condition of the
remaining equipment. It had been trashed, stolen or had plain worn out
over the years during and following the recent (1996) civil war."
Along with hospital beds from Swedish Covenant Hospital, several beds
have been donated by St. Joseph Hospital in St. Louis (see accompanying
photo). They have already been transported to Rockford by Covenant
missionary Robert Thornbloom, who has regularly traveled to Congo in
recent years to assess needs and secure equipment in North America.
Parishioners from Covenant congregations in Rockford are helping pack
the equipment, and a Chicago Covenanter has provided vehicles to move
the beds to Rockford. A
20-foot container filled with donated and purchased medical equipment is
already en route to Congo, thanks to the assistance from businesses and
individuals who are interested in helping the medical efforts. It was
shipped from Michigan. Thornbloom calls the recent gifts "truly a
Covenant team effort."
Thorpe says a trip is being planned to provide additional assistance to
residents in the Ubangi region. Doctors and nurses will serve as
consultants and teachers for medical staff in that region. Other
equipment procurement efforts are continuing. Items that are of urgent
need include: x-ray machines, surgical instruments, electrocardiogram
equipment and operating room necessities such as aspirators and
anesthesia machines.
To learn more about the medical efforts and what kinds of assistance are
helpful, call Thorpe at 773-267-8440 or email him at
rgtemt@worldnet.att.net.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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