India Mission About to Begin
India Mission Medical Director Dr. Tammy Neblock-Beirne and Mission Coordinator Abigail Hayo
India here we come! On Friday a team of 15 Medical Missions Foundation volunteers will depart for our inaugural mission to Bhopal, India.
During this mission we will be providing much needed surgical care to the people of Bhopal and the surrounding areas. Along with medical treatment, we will be sharing supplies, equipment, and medications, as well as working together with physicians and nurses who live and work in Bhopal.
The idea for this mission came from anesthesiologist Pratihba Khare while she was on a Medical Missions Foundation trip several years ago in Gulu, Uganda. Pratihba and her husband, a practicing urologist, are both from India and understand the healthcare needs in India. Though their contacts, we began the mission planning process. The Khare’s worked with their connections and last year scheduled a scouting trip with Mission Medical Director Dr. Tammy Neblock-Beirne and Mission Coordinator Abigail Hayo. The scouting team was more than impressed with their hosts passion for the underserved, the hospital where our team will be working, and the welcoming and grateful spirit of the hospital. Fast forward to today where we are just a few hours away from departure.
Special Dedication During Our Scouting Trip
Throughout the week of our India mission you will see updates here, on Facebook, and on Instagram about how our team is doing, stories of the people we meet, and what we are seeing as we spend time in India. Before any mission a team member’s emotions can range from excitement, to nervousness, to calm about the journey we are about to take. A journey that is more than just miles; it is a journey to share a skill, to give a person a chance at healing, to share words of hope, to teach, and to learn. All of the members of this mission team have made other trips with Medical Missions Foundation: we all understand the work that is ahead. What is unknown is how we will be affected. We travel to help make life better for someone else, but in the end we realize that WE are changed for the better after meeting the wonderful people we journeyed so far to see.