Conversion Rates

Weds 11/2 - Our make up clinic today was a success! We made it back to Antsontany to see the 200 patients who weren't seen at the clinic last week. Last time we were here the pastor toured us around the church and was very proud to show off their roof project. They are making their own tile behind the sanctuary to hang on the ceiling and then are also fixing some of the holes in the roof. The project will cost a total of $1.1 million aryiary ($343 USD) for the entire project and he said it would take 5-10yrs for them to raise the money. He told us about the project not as a plea for donations but instead to let us know what the community's goals are. 

Over the course of the mission week, our group also had several patients with medical conditions requiring expensive surgery that would take years to pay off but when converted to USD, it's a very reasonable amount. For example, the first night we were here when the power was out, a couple team members helped hold flashlights for Dr Harison as he performed a c-section. The baby boy was born with a cleft palate and will most likely have this defect forever. The surgery to fix it is done when the child is 3yrs old and will cost $150 USD. On the second day of clinic, we had an older gentleman come in with severe cataracts and that prevented him from working. The surgery to give him his sight (and livelihood) back will cost $200 USD. There are several other patient situations we encountered and while the amount in USD seems reasonable (in fact pretty cheap!), the conversion rate is $1 USD = $3200 aryiary. So multiply the previous numbers by 3200 and you can see the daunting cost these patients must take on...  

The patients we met really made an impact on our hearts and have stuck with us throughout the week so as a group we asked Scarlet if donations could be made to cover part of the cost of these surgeries to help people have a better future. We each gave what we felt comfortable giving and were able to collect enough money to cover the cost of all the surgeries, imaging studies and construction projects that were presented to us. This includes: cataract surgery, hand tumor removal, hydrocephalus shunt placement (little baby with the big head), church roof project, rice for the Toby psych patients, and a couple more. 

It is such an amazing experience to not only go into rural areas to diagnose and treat the "basic" health problems but also to have the resources to refer patients to a top notch local hospital and have them set up with Dr Harison to do their surgeries. As I've said many times before, healthcare should not be a privilege. It is a basic human right and the fact that we can do more than share our hearts and pharmaceuticals with these wonderful people, but also assist them in expensive life changing procedures is one of the best feelings! God is good and He will always provide!

Daily devotion: Micah 6:8

“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God” -Micah 6:8