kenyanmissionaryathomespring05

Kenyan Missionary at Home at Siloam

Originally published in the Spring 2005 edition of Healing Waters
By: Suzie Snyder , MD

On the other side of the world, in another hemisphere, live the Maasai of Kenya. I have served as a medical missionary in Kenya among the Maasai for 13 years, but for the last five months, I have served on a different mission field – the Siloam mission field. I have served here while on furlough from Kenya with my family -- filling in for staff physician Dr. Morgan Wills during his six month sabbatical. It has been a wonderful experience and a great learning opportunity. I will be forever grateful for the warm welcome everyone here has given me.

Ironically, the medical practice here at Siloam has many similarities to my practice in Africa . In both locations, the target population is the underserved. Both Siloam and my Kenyan practice focus on the poor, those less fortunate and those who would not have access to medical care otherwise.

Secondly, resources are limited and considerable care must be taken to use whatever resources we have carefully and sparingly. Every patient is different and each patient’s social situation must be considered when giving care. Can the patient afford the medication? Can they manage a trip to the referral center? Do they have transportation to the clinic and can they come back for follow-up? Will they have to walk eight hours to “come back tomorrow” or will they stay in the home of a neighbor? One of my patients here at Siloam has to stay at her daughter’s house here in Nashville every time she has an appointment. These considerations influence how we prescribe and provide care.

Cultural considerations are very important as well. Do I truly understand what the patient is telling me about their illness? Do they believe me when I describe the cause of the problem? Will they actually take the medicine I prescribe? In Maasailand, (where a shot is expected), I often have to give a vitamin shot to convince them that I know what I am doing. I actually had a similar patient at Siloam last week. Whether in Kenya or at Siloam, the questions to consider are often the same. The need for cultural sensitivity is paramount wherever you go.

When comparing the medical practice here at Siloam to that in Kenya , I have actually seen some of the same diseases here at Siloam as the tropical illnesses I treat in Kenya . I have screened numerous refugees for malaria. I have diagnosed several intestinal parasites I can’t pronounce. And I had a patient with Brucellosis which is endemic in Maasailand. Being able to use my expertise from Africa has been a rewarding aspect of this year’s experience.

Lastly, the need to see the patient as a whole and to attempt to meet emotional, mental, and spiritual needs as well as the physical needs is the same here at Siloam as it is in Kenya . Prayer is a key therapeutic tool in connecting spiritually with patients who have physical problems.

Even though the Maasai are thousands of miles away on another continent they are similar to the patients here at Siloam. The limitation of resources, the diversity of culture and even some of the diseases has been very similar. Most of all, people are people anywhere. They all suffer when they are sick. They all want comfort and answers. And they all have a need for God to intervene.

Whether in Kenya or at Siloam, the goal remains the same: to share the love of Christ by serving those in need. through health care.