Unique Public Health ministry serves rural Ghana
By Emily Peters

NALERIGU, Ghana (BP) — Missionary Cherry Faile smiles when she hears villagers singing songs in the Manpruli language about how to properly nurse children or cook nutritious meals.

In a place where accurate statistics are tough to track, the songs affirm that the public health programs she helped develop at the Baptist Medical Centre in rural Ghana are working.

“You’d hear them singing those songs everywhere,” says Faile, daughter of the doctor who helped found the hospital 50 years ago. “You’d be surprised how quickly those messages spread and become part of the thinking in the community.” Read More

Baptist Medical Centre has impacted Ghana for 50 years
By Emily Peters

NALERIGU, Ghana (BP) — Dr. George Faile III was just 8 years old when he started tagging along as his father treated patients at Ghana’s Baptist Medical Centre 50 years ago.
Young Faile saw countless patients with malaria or snake bites. But instead of seeking professional medical help, many villagers in Nalerigu visited spirit doctors who treated ailments with herbal remedies, libations and skin-cutting rituals.

Today, Faile — who serves as medical superintendent of the hospital his father helped start with the International Mission Board — has seen things change not only medically but spiritually. People are more willing to seek access to modern medicine. Through the years medical missionaries have started more than 70 churches and continue to bring news of the true Healer.

That ministry is why Ghanaians turned out to celebrate the hospital’s 50th anniversary this fall. Villagers from all over northern Ghana converged for a weeklong celebration, which culminated in a grand outdoor event that drew 3,000 people.

“I have seen Baptist medical facilities all over the world,” says IMB Executive Vice President Clyde Meador, who spoke at the event. “I don’t know of another that has served in a more challenging place and yet has made such an impact on the community. I give thanks to God who has made it all possible.”

And that impact runs deep in an area where there’s only one paved road and most people live in mud huts. Read More

This is an exciting week in Nalerigu, Ghana. BMC is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will be having activities and festivities all week long. The week’s events will lead up to a huge celebration on Saturday and a special thanks giving service on Sunday. We will be posting photos of the celebration on this blog throughout the week. Celebrate 50 years with us!

Recently Joshua Dubik, a staff nurse at BMC was selected as the Best Nurse of the Northern Region. He received an award from the government and was also recognized by BMC  for his achievement. We congratulate Joshua and are proud of him.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Faile Foundation, Baptist Medical Centre now has new floors throughout major areas of the hospital. Below are some  pictures to give you an idea of the improvement that has been made.

William Haun and his wife Heidi were with us for 3 months last Fall. William is selling prints of his photos of BMC and West Africa to raise money for the Faile Foundation. Head over to http://gallery.williamhaun.com/ to have a look at his images.

On January 19 we held our annual awards celebration. It is a time for recognition of those on staff who have worked for 10,15 or 20 years and to honor those who have retired during the year. The day started off with a bicycle race. There was a women’s team and a men’s team. In the afternoon there was get together with all the staff for the actual recognition time. It was a time to reflect on the past year, look forward to the coming year, have some fun, recognize staff who had worked for years and those who were retiring, and enjoy some light refreshment.

It seemed that all had a good time and we hope it will be just the beginning of a good year ahead.