Journey to the Borderland: Baylor's Faith in Action Initiative's Donation of Medical Equipment to Ukraine

Abstract

The usual way to do medical mission work is to go to a less-developed country and treat sick people. We realized that we could go to Central America or sub-Saharan Africa, perform surgery for a week, and help 25, 30, or perhaps even 40 people. After we left, their overall medical care would not be improved. Through Baylor Health Care System's Faith in Action Initiative, we have chosen instead to obtain used medical equipment and ship it to hospitals in medically underserved areas in foreign countries that need the equipment. We then help the local doctors set it up and learn how to use it. This can positively affect the medical system. Surplus medical equipment in the USA often has little or no commercial value. When US hospitals replace equipment, manufacturers frequently take the old equipment as a trade in, but this is not the same as trading in a used car when buying a new one. The auto dealer can sell the car, so it has a monetary value. The medical equipment manufacturers often cannot resell used high-tech medical equipment because hospitals in the USA do not want to buy used equipment that is obsolescent by our standards. The trade-in is little more than a discount; the manufacturers often discard or even destroy the old equipment. While used medical equipment may not have a monetary value, it still has a useful value since only a portion of its useful life has been used up. Often the manufacturer or the hospital is willing to donate the surplus equipment to be sent to a medically underserved area. This concept is by no means unique with us, but we prefer this strategy because it can upgrade the practice of doctors in medically underserved places and help untold numbers of people. We have worked in Mexico, Romania, and most recently Ukraine.