Healthcare
Our calling in the coronavirus pandemic
En français Few of us are trained to treat sick communities and continents. Unfortunately, that is our task during a pandemic. The origin of the word comes from the Greek pandemos, where pan means everyone, and demos means population. Pandemics confront us with not just one sick individual but with hundreds of thousands of ill patients. The responsible pathogen overwhelms…
Read MorePutting ‘care’ back into ‘healthcare’ after COVID-19 – a reflection
En français September has begun and, with it, the fall. Sitting here in Staten Island, I am thinking of the seasons that have ended. I am able to ‘see’ the spring and summer seasons better than I could in the chaos of the recent past. The reason is a long-needed week away at a Christian…
Read MoreThe ‘other’ suffering caused by the coronavirus
Em português, français The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for over seven months now. It has directly killed over 800,000 people and, indirectly, caused massive losses to people who are mostly unseen. While I do not have the figures for this ‘collateral damage’, I have no doubt that it is many times more than the…
Read MoreBeing compassionate without burning out
True Christian healthcare is compassionate and comprehensive. It is centred on Jesus and his heart to heal the whole person – body, mind and spirit. As Christian doctors we try to keep this at the centre of our medical practice. But often we do not know how to take care of ourselves with the result…
Read MoreCreative and practical ways to help people in poor communities respond to COVID-19
En Français, Pусский, Español, Português As I write, we will be living in a wide variety of situations. We may be at the front line, exhausted and overworked. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, being in lockdown and enjoying more time with our families. And of course, many situations in between. But perhaps…
Read MoreSexuality in COVID-19 times
En Español, Pусский, Français, Português I was compelled to write this article, after reading a document issued by New York Community Health entitled Sex and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID -19). Upon reading the publication, I was struck by various ideas concerning sexuality, which the New York scientific group was suggesting for its readers, faced with…
Read MoreA COVID-19 crisis helpline for people with medical, psychological and financial worries
En Español, Français, Pусский, Português Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has changed our lives. A totally unexpected pandemic appeared in the city of Wuhan in China. And now, due to its high transmissibility, many of the countries have decided to isolate or strictly confine their populations, to prevent further spread of the disease. We highlight three…
Read MoreWorking together in Indonesia – what COVID-19 taught us as a community
En Français, Pусский, Português It all started when I received a phone call from a colleague informing me that one student under our ministry had tested positive for COVID-19. Inevitably, my mind rushed to two weeks earlier when she was the worship leader at a student gathering with approximately 180 students attending. Some of them…
Read MoreTen things to pray for Christian healthcare workers
Em Português, Français This morning I read a news article entitled ‘What am I still allowed to do?’ It outlined what the new UK-wide lockdown means for each of us and when we can leave the house. In many countries around the world, similar measures have come into effect in the last few weeks. However,…
Read MoreHealthcare resource allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a Christian ethical perspective
Em português, français This is a short summary of a briefing paper – please read the full version for a more thorough consideration of the issues. As doctors based in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), a well-resourced healthcare system, we approach the subject of healthcare rationing with a degree of humility. However, as…
Read More