HOWARD HOSPITAL ON THE VERGE... Part Two

Thistle worked not only to assure excellent medical care at the Howard Hospital, but also to assure that there was an improvement in medical standards throughout the country. He trained medical students from the University of Zimbabwe, with students getting rural experience at the Howard. He was very involved with the College of Physicians in Harare, which ensures that all physicians working in the country are properly certified, and receive ongoing education and training. The commitment to teaching is a family process within the Thistle household, with his wife Pedrinah also being a talented and highly respected nursing educator and midwife.

It was not just the medical care of the community that Thistle and his wife attended to. The general community welfare was critical to both of them. Paul and Pedrinah were deeply involved in the care of local orphans. Quietly and without fanfare, Dr and Mrs Thistle assured that local boys and girls receive the care and love that they need. This involved individual attention to help keep the children in school and getting them the funding to make that possible. It also involved supporting local orphanages with fund raising.

Even with his busy schedule, Thistle found time every Sunday evening to play ball hockey with the local children. He made sure that they have equipment, and made sure their needs are being met. These games were deeply loved by the children with 20-30 coming every week to play.

An international outcry sounded when Thistle and his wife were relieved of their duties without warning or cause. The Thistles, Salvation Army Officers, were ordered by The Salvation Army leadership to abandon their home and work, and return to Canada. The tragedy is that it is innocent Zimbabweans who are being punished in a most inhumane way.

Thistle's abrupt dismissal from the Howard Hospital has led to a rapid decrease in medical services and has dealt devastating blow to the community. Thistle is the only surgeon in the region, and in his absence most elective and emergency surgery has ceased. The very existence of the hospital and the survival of its many community based programs are now under threat. The Salvation Army has not proposed a transition plan. Their leadership did not consult with the community before making a decision that affects their lives and their deaths.

After over 17 years of Thistle at the helm of the hospital, no plans were considered to involve him in the handing over of the clinical reigns to an incoming physician or surgeon. No incoming physician or surgeon has yet even been identified by The Salvation Army leadership and no start date has been indicated. The once thriving hospital is operating at 10 per cent capacity. The thousands of patients receiving Anti-Retroviral Therapy for HIV are now at risk of defaulting on their treatment. Fifteen hundred orphans and vulnerable children were left without financial support to pay for school fees this September and thus have not been able to attend their classes. The residents of Chiweshe have forcefully stated their support of Thistle, and have demanded that he be reinstated.

Thistle has been a loyal member of The Salvation Army and has not spoken out against it in public. We are aware of allegations of corruption and misuse of donor funds and donated goods by The Salvation Army in Zimbabwe. We believe that Thistle's attempts to maintain the integrity of accounts has raised the ire of The Salvation Army Church in Harare and is likely the reason for their insisting on his prompt removal.

We have had the privilege to work closely with Thistle for many years. We know him to be honest, reliable, and motivated by compassion. We, like hundreds of others, have been inspired to do whatever we could to help the Howard after witnessing the incredible commitment, professionalism, and devotion with which Thistle has cared for both his patients and the entire local Zimbabwean community.

This is a humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes. A group of concerned doctors and other professionals have formed the Interfaith Friends of Howard Hospital (IFHH). We have all worked as volunteers beside Thistle in Zimbabwe and have facilitated millions of dollars' worth of medical equipment, medicine and funds, including grants from international aid agencies, Canadian registered charities, and faith-based groups. Future donations to the hospital are now in jeopardy, as donors are no longer confident that there is adequate management or supervision on the ground to ensure that donor dollars are utilized for their intended purpose.

Our efforts to work to address this crisis with The Salvation Army leadership at its Canadian and International headquarters have been fruitless. The Salvation Army leadership continues to ignore the crisis precipitated by their removal of this exceptionally qualified surgeon from his practice.

Dr. Michael Silverman, MD, FRCP, FACP. Global Scholar, PAS Center for

International Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

Sarah Zelcer, Director of International Programs, Ve'ahavta: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian and Relief Committee.

July 7, 2013

The most recent news is that the Army has ordered their Zimbabwe schools for orphans not to accept donations from Friends of Howard Hospital, a long time Canadian support group that has donated thousands of dollars. The FOHH is one of the donor groups requesting greater transparency.