Newsdze Zimbabwe
When members of a Regina Rotary club heard about
patients walking great distances to get emergency medical care in Zimbabwe, the
club wheeled into action and started a fundraising drive for bike ambulances.
Dr. Paul Dhillon, a member of the Rotary Club of
Regina Oskaya, learned about the dire need for bikes for health-care workers
and bike ambulances from Dr. Paul Thistle, a Canadian-trained physician who is
working in Zimbabwe. The Salvation Army sacked him from Howard Mission and he
now works for Karanda Hospital.
“He’s an amazing individual — he’s serving a
population of about a quarter of a million, he’s the only
obstetrician/gynecologist, it’s rural and there’s no hospitals like we have,”
Dhillon said in an interview with the Leader-Post earlier this month.
After the Regina Rotarian described the urgent
need for bikes and bike ambulances to the club’s 15 members, they started
fundraising. The Rotary Club of Regina Oskaya raised $14,000, Dhillon
contributed proceeds from the sale of his second novel and with matching grants
from the Rotary district, Rotary International and a Rotary club in Zimbabwe,
the total multiplied to $31,500.
“Paul said that it went so well that they’re
going to expand and build a repair shop,” said Andre Fagnou, president of the
Rotary Club of Regina Oskaya. “It’s not in our mandate to build the building,
but if they need money for rent or upgrades, we can help with that.”
A truckload of bikes were delivered June 27 to
Karanda Mission Hospital, located in a remote area of northern Zimbabwe. Two
bike ambulances will transport patients such as pregnant women in labour or
critically ill people to medical personnel.
“It’s been well received and they’re excited,” Fagnou
said. “It’s sometimes hard to relate to that need because to us, a pedal bike
is such a small thing but the community is ecstatic. They have emergency access
to health care and they’re very grateful.”
Rather than buy the bikes in Canada and ship them
to Africa, they were purchased in Zimbabwe.
The bike ambulance is a bike that pulls a
stretcher, which has strong suspension to ensure the patient’s comfort and a
sun and rain cover for protection from the elements.
The stretcher can be easily removed from the
trailer to carry the patient, who is protected by mudguards and with safety
belts.
“The people who do the bike ambulances
volunteer, but then they get to use the bike so it helps them get to school or
to go to their job and the repair shop will employ a few people full time,”
Fagnou said.
Posted in: NEWS
4 comments:
So encouraging to read about the support Dr. Thistle is receiving, much of it no doubt as a result of you and others sharing his story.
Please continue doing the most good!
Active USA Eastern Territoty
The good doctor is fulfilling his calling, despite the efforts of the Salvation Army to thwart him. Indeed, he is going from strength to strength. I wouldn't be surprised if some of TSA's own soldiers' donations will be channelled into his healing ministry at Karanda hospital.
After all, where do you think our money, from our limited resources, will be 'doing the most good'? At TSA, where they have wasted huge amount of monies on the new hospital which is now lying in ruins, or at Karanda hospital, where Dr Thistle is continuing to us his God-given skills to heal and to inspire those he meets?
You only have to look at attitudes as well, in this case.
On the one hand is TSA, stuck in an arrogantly silent rut of its own making, by:-
refusing to acknowledge or repent of any errors of judgment,
demonstrating its appalling treatment of the Chiweshe people who trusted it to continue to provide them with essential healthcare,
refusing to restore the services they cut off.
On the other hand is a true Christian, one who:-
has suffered unjustly at the hands of this allegedly 'God-raised, Spirit-filled' Army,
has had his reputation unjustly smeared for standing up for his convictions
has had his family uprooted
has had his job terminated without redress or appeal, and both he and his wife were just discarded like yesterday's newspaper by so called 'godly' people –
BUT - who has refused to be downtrodden, and has emerged the stronger over the ungodly actions of the senior personnel of this international movement, people who didn't recognise his worth, and failed to even consider the worth of the people in the community he served.
May God continue to bless him and enhance his ministry at Karanda.
You better believe Salvationists have stopped supporting TSA as a result of this debacle and are now supporting the Karanda Mission Hospital.
TSA crucified Dr. Paul Thistle and his dear wife, but they are rising again at Karanda. Is this not part of the meaning of resurrection - when circumstances in life cause us to be down-trodden to the point of shutting us down, we find in God's grace the power to resurrect and carry on?
I have never considered resurrection to just be an after-life concept. I believe the early Christians discovered resurrection power in their earthly lives.
Canadian territory
General Cox now has a Facebook page. I understand there are many Salvos who cannot comment publicaly on the situation, but I encourage those who can to let the General know that you are praying for him and praying that he does the right thing for HH and the people of Chiweshe.
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