A Dream...
It has been a personal dream to bring together Christian health workers and students from all disciplines with Christian leaders who have a vision for the Church as a healing community. That dream is, I hope and pray, to become a reality as we meet this fall in Toronto for our first EMAS National Conference. Here we will explore together the significance of Christ's instructions to his followers to preach the gospel, to heal the sick and to release those oppressed by evil (Matt. 10:8), to “Take My Healing to the Nations.”

Our goal is to advance biblical Christ−centered healthcare in Canada and abroad. Our plenary speakers and workshop leaders will promote a whole-person approach to healthcare. They will encourage health workers to consider all the known determinants of health such as literacy, poverty and nutrition, and they will challenge the Church to be a healing community by incorporating medical personnel such as parish nurses on their ministry staff. We also want to challenge healthcare professionals to incorporate their faith into their medical practice, to think globally and to participate in short-term or long-term medical missions.

I believe we have a top-notch conference planned. Dr. Tony Campolo is of course a much sought−after speaker and we will have Dr. Jean Chamberlain of Save the Mothers as our Saturday luncheon speaker.

You will find the conference details in the enclosed brochure and on the EMAS website. Please encourage doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, chiropractors, etc., whom you know, and their spouses, to attend. We also have a very special conference rate for students. Anyone with a heart for medical missions and Christ-centered healthcare in this country is welcome to attend.

Please pray with me for an outstanding, well-attended conference. Hope to see you in Toronto on October 28th.

Hendrik Visser, M.D.
EMAS CANADA Chair

Download Brochure and Mark Your Calendar!

***Note: This program has been accredited by The College of
Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter
for up to 5.75 Mainpro-M1 credits.

In Delhi, I had the opportunity to meet with the Executive Director of the EHA which manages 20 hospitals and over 30 Community Projects in the poorer states of India. I visited their Shalom project which has an outpatient department, a 10-bed inpatient unit, and a Home-based Care program all of which serve HIV patients.

From there, I visited Herbertpur Christian Hospital, in Dehradun, a busy 120-bed hospital with 17 doctors, but no gynaecologists. They lack the ability to repair and maintain their equipment and are in need of a bio-medical engineer. 30% of their patients do not pay for treatment but the hospital still manages to cover its costs.

All the hospitals I visited are in danger of compromising their mission to serve the poor because of financial constraints. They cannot afford the capital expenditures to maintain their infrastructure and take advantage of advances in medical technology. Meanwhile private hospitals are attracting the wealthier patients who can afford to pay.

Without these wealthier patients, the mission hospitals will not be able to subsidize the poor.

Please remember these hospitals and their dedicated staff in your prayers and be mindful that even short-term visits from Canadian doctors and nurses will do much to train and encourage them.

Michael J. Wills
Executive Director

I recently travelled to India with a team from Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM). We visited hospitals and food security projects in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, and a hospital and project run by the Emmanuel Hospital Assoc. (EHA) north east of Delhi.

The Pithapuram hospital, supported by CBM, has 200 beds and serves 100 villages. They treat poor patients for very little and run at a loss. Their ICU lacks equipment. They would love to have Canadian doctors and nurses visit to support and train their local staff.

In Orissa, CBM supports the Serango Christian Hospital which has 50 beds and an Eye Hospital. A Mother & Child Care Centre is to be built on land in the nearby town of Ranipeta. They would also appreciate visits from Canadian doctors and nurses.

EMAS welcomes new members to its teams. We make every effort to ensure that you have a positive experience with us. For more information, visit our website at: www.emascanada.org/missiontrips.htm

2011

Sep. 5–21: Uganda—Medical/dental missions team to RAMBIA Health Centre near Fort Portal. See www.emascanada.org/recruitment_uganda.htm.
Contact: Dr. Paul Zeni at ~ or Dr. Debbie Zeni at ~ .

Oct. 8–23: Vietnam—Medical/dental missions team. GP’s, optometrists and dentists needed. Contact: Dr. David Neima at ~ or Fr. Tien Tran at ~ .

Oct. 22–Nov. 5: China East—Urban teaching team. Suzhou and Xiamen region. Paediatric and mental health conferences. Contact Team Leader at ~ .

Nov. 4–13: China Guangdong—Serving factory workers, villagers and church congregations. Need dentists, hygienists and dental assistants; physicians (primary care and paediatrician); nurses and pharmacists are invited. Contact Team Leader at ~ or ~ .

Nov. 6–17: China South—Surgical team in need of OR nurses, dentist, audiologists, instrument specialist and speech pathologists. Contact Team Leader at ~ .

Nov. 13–26: China South—Post-op team in need of ward doctor, OT/PT and general help. Contact Team Leader at ~ .

2012

Feb. 13–25: Haiti—Medical/dental team. Need GP’s, internists, nurses, dentist, PT, OT and school teachers. French-speaking preferred. Contact Dr. Pierre Plourde at ~ .

Mar. 26–Apr. 5: China South—Dental team to Hainan, visiting schools, churches and villages. Contact Team Leader at ~ .

Jul. 7–22: Vietnam—Medical/dental missions team. GP’s, optometrists and dentists needed. Contact: Dr. David Neima at ~ or Fr. Tien Tran at ~ .

Many thanks to all of the team members
and donors who make it possible for EMAS to
“Take His Healing To The Nations.”