Canadian NGO delivers health and hope across the globe
Specialized medical goods find their way to strapped clinics in developing world
Debbie Krahn says she always had a passion to serve overseas using her training as a nurse. Through Health Partners International Canada (HPIC) she and her husband Curtis, a doctor, have been able to make a real difference using not only their skills but also the resources provided by HPIC.
“We wanted to go overseas, but not to make ourselves feel good,” Curtis says. “We wanted to add value.” The Steinbach, Manitoba couple took HPIC’s Physician Travel Packs—kits containing medical essentials often lacking in many areas—to a hospital in Zimbabwe that houses 140 beds but services almost 200,000 people.
“When you open these travel packs, for the staff it’s like Christmas,” Curtis explains, as most of the time, the local staff uses whatever inexpensive materials they can get locally.
Headquartered in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, all of HPIC’s work outside of Canada is done through partnerships, through faith-based programs and projects as well as non-Christian aid organizations.
“We feel it is the proper expression of the gospel not to limit partnerships,” HPIC president Glen Shepherd says. “Need is need.”
It’s an aspect Shepherd is most proud of, as “it reflects the very best of the Kingdom of God,” he says.
HPIC’s 50-pound Physician Travel Packs act as a mobile clinic with the essentials, are light enough to be carried to even the most remote locations and provide up to 600 treatments. It’s one of many examples of HPIC equipping frontline workers, along with a mother-child health kit that is helping to save the lives of mothers and newborns in Haiti and Kenya.
“It’s an incredible resource for church missions and NGO’s,” says HPIC board chair Dr. Artaj Singh. The Physician Travel Pack is convenient as a carry-on on international flights, and is a well thought-out tool, effective for short-term missions and disaster relief.
“It begins to address that huge need,” Singh says. “When risks are highest.”
Singh is also proud that HPIC has earned the confidence of the pharmaceutical industry.
“They turn to Health Partners when they want to donate in a crisis,” Singh says, as HPIC excels at getting large quantity of medications, storing and then deploying them where they are needed most. As a physician Singh says he knows the benefit of high quality medicine available in a timely manner.
“I love what they (HPIC) do,” Singh says. “And I love being a part of it.”
Shepherd says HPIC is a great expression of Canadian values. When people are grateful for the blessings they enjoy, they are compelled to identify needs in the world beyond national borders.
“None of us alone can fix these problems,” Shepherd says. “But together we can address a need.”
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