“People ask what exactly I want to accomplish with the Mildred Smith Mission Health Center,” expresses Doug Smith, graduate of the Professional Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Smith’s INMED service-learning at Ghana’s Baptist Medical Center helped nurture his vision for this new health undertaking in Kenya.
“That’s a fair question,” continues Doug Smith. “There are already some good medical services provided in Kenya by government, private and mission institutions. Still, I still see a need for comprehensive care, focused on unique needs families, including nutrition and dental, and especially among the poor, who so often don’t have resources for anything except life-threatening emergencies.”
“But my vision is even larger,” says Dr. Smith. “After working at a public hospital here earlier this year – required for my Kenya medical license – the obvious need for effective primary care is overwhelming. So, the Mission Health Center will also serve as a family medicine demonstration clinic to help create a model for others to emulate in Africa.”