Indonesian physicians hold free follow-up clinic after Mercy Medical Team visit
Following the lead of the LCMS World Relief and Human Care Mercy Medical Team (MMT) that visited Indonesia, four local physicians held another free clinic March 28 for 155 more patients. The doctors, who are members of the local Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP), used medications provided by LCMS WR-HC at their clinic in the Jakarta suburb of Limo.
The MMT that opened the door to the HKBP clinic was the first to travel to Indonesia. Nine LCMS medical volunteers and four staff members treated 1,128 Indonesians in February in the impoverished communities of Jakarta and Banda Aceh. Although nearly four years have passed since the tsunami, the MMT saw many people “still dealing with a lot of emotional and physical fallout,” said Maggie Karner, LCMS WR-HC’s director of Life and Health Ministries and a MMT program leader.
The team cared for Indonesians suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and ailments stemming from poor sanitation and nutrition. But before discussing health concerns, many patients wanted to talk about the life-changing disaster. MMT volunteers met a woman who lost all of her children in the waves. The team’s bus driver said he was the only survivor from his family of 11. “We heard about losses that we can’t even fathom,” said MMT volunteer Janet Sandersen, a registered nurse from Longmont, Colo.
Mercy Medical Teams provide care in poor communities often overlooked by other agencies and where LCMS WR-HC can work with local partners. In Indonesia, one such local partner is the HKBP church.
Volunteers are medical professionals who pay their own expenses. The 10th MMT departed April 13 for Kenya, where the team planned to offer five clinics in Atemo and Kisumu. Another Kenya trip is set for July 3-12, followed by a trip to Madagascar, Oct. 21-Nov. 1. To learn more about being a MMT volunteer, or helping to provide needed funds or medical supplies, contact Jacob Fiene, LCMS WR-HC manager of medical and material resources, at
jacob.fiene@lcms.org or (800) 248-1930, ext 1278.
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