The mission field needs healthcare workers, speaker says
The mission field needs healthcare workers, speaker says
Riverside, Calif. (March 1, 2022) – The world and the mission field need healthcare professionals, the Rev. Doug Christgau told California Baptist University students on Feb. 28.
“Health is the most basic human need. By 2030, we will need 12 million healthcare workers worldwide,” Christgau said.
Christgau, a global ambassador for MedSend, spoke at the lecture hosted by the College of Health Science. MedSend works with mission agencies to send out healthcare professionals by providing grants to cover student debt for certified healthcare professionals. Over the past 30 years since its beginning, MedSend has covered $25 million in student debt, Christgau said.
“I think it is important because you are going to end with so much debt, and it can be a really hard barrier … if you want to go overseas,” said Jade Adams, a biomedical sciences junior. “They take care of that stuff for you to go serve, especially in underserved communities.”
Christgau said MedSend derives its mission from the Great Commission. He also emphasized the need for more trained healthcare professionals in other nations, especially in Africa. Currently, the world would need 7 million more healthcare professionals to have one for every 500 people globally. The organization also supports the training of indigenous doctors in Africa and Asia.
While most missionaries sponsored by MedSend travel internationally, some serve at clinics in the U.S. In 2021, MedSend funded 160 grants whose recipients went into the field in 60 different nations.
Marina Emhoff, an athletic training graduate student, said providing medicine for those who do not have access to it can show them both a healthy lifestyle and Christ.
“He talked about providing healthcare to those who don’t have it readily available, and he talked about taking that as an opportunity to show them Christ and to lead them in faith,” Emhoff said. “I feel like being able to send certified healthcare providers into those areas will give them an opportunity to see Christ in a different light.”
Christgau emphasized the importance of spreading the gospel to others through healthcare.
Daisy Martinez, an athletic training graduate student, said healthcare allows her to use the knowledge and experience God has given her to help others.
“I think it brings awareness to all of us healthcare providers about what is going on outside our country and how we can make a difference or impact,” Martinez said. “Having this lecture makes me look more into this.”