Zambia Mission Report 2009

“A non-profit organisation promting holistic care
ONE PERSON AT A TIME”
P.O. Box 295021
Lewisville, TX 75029
Phone: 1-877-817-4942
E-mail: cpg_mission@yahoo.com
http://compassionateprofessionals.blogspot.com

“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” William James

Zambians are very warm and gracious people. Zambia was a British colony, so there is a strong British influence in all areas of the country’s infrastructure. Zambian Council for Nurses and Midwives and the Medical Board granted the medical team temporary licensure for practice after a very detailed process including a face-to-face interview on arrival. It was the first time in our experience that a Health Authority was very restrictive to agencies that would be offering complimentary services to its people. This demonstrates the value the health authorities place on its people.

The team of three doctors, three nurses, an advanced practice nurse and a pharmacist was part of a team of 15 persons on a fourteen day mission to three sites. Accounting for travel time and two rest days, we were able to have seven working days.
After a long ten hour drive from Lusaka, the capital city to Ukime, Petuake in the Eastern province our first site was a new health center that was recently completed by the Church on the Rock ministry as an extension of their holistic mission outreach to the Riverside community. The building workforce was partly from a building mission team from Holland a year earlier and the community is still looking for funds to equip the health center. This was the first ever medical mission outreach in this community. The district health officers were very welcoming to the team.

With our five-step station process all had a basic vital signs assessment following registration at station 1. Many adults especially men had their first health assessment ever. There were a small number of cases of borderline hypertension in this rural site but more severe cases at the other two urban sites. The nurses at station 2 gave health counseling and education about this and other disease processes and conditions. At station 3 the health care providers did limited physical assessment and diagnoses, prescribing from our mobile pharmacy supplies. At station 5 all had a minimum of vitamins and/or iron supplements. This was the final stop before going home if no major diagnoses were made at station 3.
Common complaints included symptoms of anemia, worm infestation and backache. There was no running water at this village and farming was primary income for many and subsistence even for those who had other jobs. Women carried their children on their backs for easy transportation sometimes past the age of two years which caused neck and back strain on many women. Prolonged breast feeding was very common and among its many benefits was pregnancy spacing. The pediatrician kept busy at all three sites treating common bacterial, protozoan and respiratory infections. An infant that needed hospital care for severe dehydration was taken to the nearest hospital two hours away within Petuake district with great results.

At the George compound in Lusaka and Kafue (urban sites) we augmented the work of the local health centers. At the former, in addition to adult & children’s health was an AIDS clinic, many of its patients were already on anti-viral medications but came to see what else could be done for them with a fresh hope from this team from America. A few had insomnia due to anxiety and were referred to the psychologist who counseled them and prescribed anxiolytics. Their spiritual health needs were assessed and met at station 4 as part of the holistic process.

Compassionate Professionals on Global Mission and its partners on short term medical missions contribute to global health care of some of the world’s neediest communities in education and basic health needs. It also supports countries like Zambia in its quest to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4, 5 & 6 in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. A donation of a fetal doppler was made to the midwives at the last site and they were taught on its use.

We were blessed to have the experience not only serving the people of Zambia but also to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls(Mosi-oa-Tunya: “the smoke that thunders”) in city of Livingstone bordering Zimbabwe.

Grateful for the Experience,
By Sarah Igbe, Missionary Nurse &
Waltona Cummings, Missionary Nurse-Midwife




“A BIG THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL WONDERFUL JOB, AND THE EXTENSION OF LOVE TO THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA. THE MISSION WAS GREAT AND A SUCCESS. THE UKWIMI PEOPLE HAVE NO WORDS TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE. WHAT HAPPENED THERE HAS NEVER EVER HAPPENED EVER SINCE THE RESETLEMENT WAS ESTABLISHED.
YOU WERE A GREAT BLESSING FROM GOD! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.”
Pastor Joseph Mumba, Lead Host, Church on the Rock Ministries, Zambia.




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