Road to Kenya part III - PACS

Before I describe World Medical Mission I will first write a little about another amazing organization that is doing great things.  In this blog post I will give some information on the PAACS program that is responsible for the organization of surgical resident education at Tenwek.  I'll post on World Medical Missions in the next episode.  

PAACS stands for the Pan African Academy of Christian surgeons, and was birthed in the late 90s after exhausted missionary surgeons realized that their mission hospitals were going to die a slow death after they retired and return to the states.  (Mission hospitals are similar to all other businesses in that your company's future depends on the leadership and if they train their successor.) The surgeons concluded that the only solution was to train and disciple African surgeons within the continent of Africa.  Their hope and desire was to start a training program for African surgeons that would eventually become self-sufficient and provide for the immense surgical need in Africa. More than 15 years after its inception, PAACS now trains and disciples 40 national physicians at eight hospitals across Africa and teaches them not only surgical concepts and techniques, but also teaches them God's word and gives them a vision to serve and proclaim Christ among the poor.  One of these training programs is at Tenwek hospital, where Erin and I will be spending the next two years.  It will be my privilege to assist in training ten future surgeons who will eventually meet the needs of their own people.  These future surgeons will have a huge impact on an entire continent, and change the face of surgical care in Africa forever.

The surgery residency program at Tenwek is structured very similarly to surgery residency in the states.  Much like surgical residencies in the United States, the residents will complete five years of training under the direction of experienced board-certified surgeons.  They take yearly examinations as well as fellowship (board) examinations during both their second and fifth years. However, a few differences are that candidates for PAACS training must be African graduates of recognize medical schools, and be open and unashamed followers of Jesus Christ.  These prerequisites go along with the desire to train up Christian surgeons to both treat patient's spiritual needs as well as physicial needs. PAACS programs have an affiliation with Loma Linda University in California and are also endorsed by the governing bodies of surgery in East, Central and Southern Africa.  The parent organization here in the states is the CMDA, which is very involved in organization and fund raising to support these residents.  

The PAACS program remains dedicated to fulfilling its mission: "PAACS exists to train and disciple 
African surgeons to glorify God and to provide excellent, compassionate care to those most in
need.". 

If you want more information about PAACS, their website is www.PAACS.net