Mission to Bangalore Medical help is temporary but has lasting effects

by David C. Usrey, MD

Early in November 2001, Drs Kerry Inzer, Sonya Merrill, and I joined an evangelistic team going to Bangalore, India, on a medical mission that was coordinated with the Bangalore Baptist Hospital. This hospital was started and is directed by Dr Rebecca Naylor, a surgeon connected with First Baptist Church, Dallas, from which most of the team comes. The physicians were joined by Dr Phyllis Karns, director of Baylor School of Nursing, and three other nurses, a pharmacist, and several assistants. They were met in Bangalore by Dr Satish Rao, an emergency room physician from New Delhi.

The goal of the mission was to show the love of Christ through medical service, and to share the gospel with patients who came to the clinics. Each day for five days, free clinics were held in three areas of poverty where people had little access to a physician. In each of these 15 clinics, the mission team saw an average of 70 patients. Patients with chronic problems, such as hypertension, diabetes, or other conditions that required management, were referred to the outpatient clinic at Bangalore Baptist Hospital.

The conditions that were seen included tuberculosis, gastroenteritis, worms, asthma, and one man whose ear had been bitten off by a rat. The most common condition was muscle and tendon overuse injury as a result of carrying water. Because homes do not have running water, residents must carry water from a central hydrant (up to a half mile away) in big heavy buckets or jars. Fortunately, the clinic had lots of Ibuprofen to distribute. One of the interpreters was trained to teach stretching exercises, which should alleviate some of the patients' pain.

Although India has good medical schools, three of which are in Bangalore, the needs of the poor are not being met. They greatly appreciate any medical service they get. At one of the clinics, even a political candidate and a policeman came in for treatment.

The mission ended with a clinic day in a neighboring state where the Baptists have a school and a small hospital. In all, it was a successful mission. The medical results may have been temporary and temporal, but many decisions were made which are eternal.

If you have questions about medical mission trips, contact Connie Webster, DCMS director of community service, at 214-948-3622 or connie@dallas-cms.org.