International (MNN) — "Christian Connections in International Health had said that within 10 years there would be no mission hospitals. One of the reasons for that is that all their equipment was breaking down, and few hospitals had anyone on board, on their staff, who could service and maintain that equipment correctly," said Bill Teninty who works with International Aid.
Upon hearing this estimation, International Aid responded by creating a training program for
overseas hospital workers that equips and trains them to properly maintain and repair the necessary equipment. Much of the equipment has been donated from Christians and is desperately needed for the physicians to continue their health care ministry.
One of the challenges in this ministry is to acquire the parts for the old equipment and
to update the curriculum when hospitals receive new technologies. "We begin by training them to service the equipment that the hospital has had since, say, 1985 or 1995, but we are trying to improve and upgrade our curriculum to cover later state-of-the-art technology," said Teninty.
Even for 2005 and up to 2008 equipment models, it can be difficult for technicians in developing countries to get repair parts. International Aid's solution to that problem is to create partnerships with people in developed countries who can more easily and directly supply the needed parts to people in developing countries. For example, "In southern California there is an organization called RPI, Replacement Parts Industry. We are working right now in developing a relationship with them so the parts that they are making available
for hospitals and clinics in the U.S. we can offer those same costs for a greatly reduced cost for the hospitals we serve overseas." Teninty explained.
In many of the countries they work in, most of the people in their training programs are
Muslims. In their Kosovo program from 2001-2004, they offered devotion time for students who wanted to attend and gave Bibles to those who wanted them. Of the 28 students, two of them acknowledged their belief in Christ. In Indonesia, "One-hundred percent of the
technicians that we are working with are Muslim. One-hundred percent of the hospitals that we are working with are Muslim. There are no Christian hospitals in Acheh Province."
"This seems to be where the Lord has put International Aid in 2008," said Teninty. International Aid's workers are all Christians, which is made clear to those they are training.
Teninty asks you to pray for wisdom for their response to disasters and wars. Pray also that their hearts will be open to the things they need to hear, see and feel.
