Congolese nursing student
Do PCP Medical Ambassadors deliver direct healthcare services to the Democratic Republic of Congo. False! says Meritt Sawyer, Executive Director of Paul Carlson Partnership (PCP) (Well, true at times). PCP is dedicated to improving the standard of healthcare in Congo and ultimately to saving lives. But sending American medical professionals to perform a few surgeries or examine a few patients cannot effectively deliver this. The benefit is limited by the temporary nature of their short-term stay. PCP Medical Ambassadors are committed to the training of Congolese doctors and nurses in sustainable medical practices. We work collaboratively with Congolese professionals to assist and support the priorities of their leadership. Our training-the-trainers method utilizes these relationships to identify specific skills training needed in Congo.
Meritt goes on to say: “I was reminded of this during my recent trip to Congo travelling with a distinguished and committed team of Medical Ambassadors. Dr. Eric Gunnoe (Chair, PCP Pediatric Focus Group) and Dr. Jim Walker (Chair, PCP Maternal Focus Group) taught a groundbreaking Johns Hopkins course on maternal hemorrhaging called Helping Mothers Survive. Each of the twelve nurses taught on this life-saving method are returning to their villages, each to train twelve more. Julie Malyon (Chair, PCP Nursing Focus Group) conducted several training sessions for intramuscular needle injections where abscesses and nerve injuries result in infection, amputation and death. Sandra Gutknecht (Chair, PCP Hospital Administration Focus Group) trained nine healthcare administrators from throughout the system who traveled to Karawa to learn more effective ways to manage budgets and hospital administration. Marta Klein, soon to return as a medical missionary to the area, provided essential contextual understanding coupled with her medical expertise. I could not imagine a more effective trip. Each person on the team represented a specific medical expertise. Each day, the team dispersed to train Congolese professionals in their specific specialization. Each evening we shared what God had done through each of them that day.”
“The PCP Medical Ambassadors methodology, the training of the trainers, is a powerful method for multiplied impact in the Congo. Our commitment is for the training of local practitioners who will sustain the program. Join us! Consider becoming a Medical Ambassador.” Learn more here!
