Surgical Work in Medical Missions: A Study in Remote Areas of India

The ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ consisted of preaching, teaching, and healing the sick. Medical work has been part of Christian missions for over a century. In India, it has varied from simple nurse run clinics to state-of-the-art medical colleges like the Christian Medical College, Vellore. Most medical work in remote rural areas has been limited to primary care. We look at the surgical work in remote mission fields to find out how it has affected mission work over the last three decades as compared to pure medical work in mission fields.

In theory, surgical work on the mission field should contribute to the development of the mission and the local church. The Surgical Services Initiative (SSI) helps a team of national and international surgeons provide cost–effective surgical care to the poor and the marginalized and an excellent opportunity to teach and to train local surgeons and doctors. The initiative has partnered with many missions like Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), Operation Mobilization (OM), Gospel for Asia (GFA), and many local churches and organizations. SSI has helped to gain access to various villages where Christian missions were previously not allowed entry thus facilitating their missionary work.