Sustainable Healthcare in CambodiaÂ
What do you think of when you hear the word Mission Hospital? Thousands of poor patients lined up for miles? Missionary doctors who never sleep? While that may sound heroic, mission hospitals run like this are often needs-based, ignoring capacity or long-term sustainability. They often do not stand the test of time. Patient care suffers, doctors and nurses burn out, and limited resources force the doors to close.Â
At Mercy Medical Center Cambodia (MMC), a key MedSend partner, the commitment to sustainable impact is rooted in a capacity-based model of care. Twelve current MedSend Grant Recipients serve in Cambodia with most serving at MMC. Over the years, 26 U.S. Grant Recipients have served in Cambodia and all 10 National Scholars have served or trained at MMC. This strong MedSend presence supports MMC’s long-term strategy: building local capacity through language-fluent missionary trainers and partnerships with trusted Christian workers across the country. These trusted workers, called Referring Partners, are central to MMC’s outreach, helping connect patients to the care they need while extending the center’s mission beyond its walls.
Referring Partners: Extending Care and the GospelÂ
The Referring Partner program of MMC is a unique system that maximizes ministry impact and reach on multiple levels. MMC does not open their doors each day to an endless sea of patients and needs they could never completely meet, seeing people they may never touch again. Instead, they count on their Referring Partners to choose who to send their way and trust God to work through these Partners. They help them follow up and follow through with ongoing gospel focused outreach. These partners are vetted Cambodian organizations, church leaders, and missionaries from every province of Cambodia. They work synergistically with MMC to give access to quality medical care and to reach Cambodia with the good news of Jesus.
Stories of Transformation Through Compassionate Care
Many of these patients open their hearts to Jesus when they see His love demonstrated by MedSend Grant Recipients, National Scholars and all the staff of MMC, like the policeman who was resistant to the gospel until his wife became seriously ill and experienced healing care and heard the good news from Cambodian believers at MMC. Returning to his village late one night, he went straight to the local missionary’s door, knocked, and said ‘I’m ready to hear more about Jesus’.
Referring Partners do more than just refer patients to MMC, they also empower those who receive Christ by equipping them with learning resources, support and incorporating them into local churches. Often these patients return to their provinces eager to share the good news, like the village Chief who gave his life to Christ during a 3-week stay in their inpatient ward. Back in his village he went from house to house sharing what he learned. Many villagers were interested and wanted to know more. He called MMC’s Referring Partner for help, saying, ‘I have taught them everything I know and there are five groups meeting’. The Referring Partner provided reinforcements to teach the Bible for a whole year and soon there were more than 500 believers meeting in house churches nearby.
Training the Next Generation of Christian DoctorsÂ
MMC’s Referring Partners are also instrumental in finding great staff and trainees to join their team. Because these Partners have watched them grow up in life and in the Lord, they know their hearts and their potential fit with MMC. Many of their young doctors in training are referred to the MedSend-supported Family Medicine Residency program by these faithful Partners. Since 2012, MMC has graduated 3 to 4 young Christian doctors each year, and because their patients are referred, the workload is just right for quality training.
Watch this short video from National Scholar Dr. Ratha:
These young doctors are being prepared to launch throughout their country, often returning to their home provinces as tent-making medical missionaries. They partner with the local churches to proclaim the mercy and love of Jesus in word and in deed. Some of these doctors are choosing to stay at MMC as trainers of more Cambodian doctors, which is in line with the development goal of MMC and MedSend in creating long-term impact.
This is what your partnership makes possible. Through MedSend-supported doctors like Dr. Ratha, MMC’s unique Referring Partner system connects patients to ongoing care and gospel outreach across every province of Cambodia. Together we are reaching Cambodia with the good news of Jesus Christ.Â
