Special Delivery in Pakistan
In the late 1950s a medical program began to take shape in Pakistan under the banner of what is now WorldVenture. Fellowship International began to contribute to that ministry when Hannah Pollock (nee Leutbecher) arrived at Shikarpur Christian Hospital’s current location in the mid-60s. The symbiotic relationship between Fellowship International, WorldVenture, and other missions is so close that to visit missionaries from one mission is to visit them all. They are one family, known as Indus Christian Fellowship (ICF), dedicated to the spread of the Gospel in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Shikarpur Christian Hospital (SCH) is part of the ICF’s outreach into Shikarpur and the surrounding community. The hospital was founded because of the huge need to help the most ignored and vulnerable of Pakistani society: women and children. SCH has become a highly regarded and vital part of the local community. Though the physical is important, there is much more involved here as the Gospel is shared with patients and their families in a variety of ways.
Over decades the churches of the Fellowship have demonstrated faithful commitment in their support of Fellowship missionaries, their ministries, and projects in Pakistan. Many of these have been directly related to Shikarpur Christian Hospital.
One of the many types of physical contributions SCH makes is in the provision of safe caesarian sections to women from low-income families who find themselves in emergency or high-risk situations. This invaluable surgery allows the baby to be delivered in a safe, hospital environment with highly trained professionals where there is less likelihood of complications arising due to the often antiquated surgical techniques and inadequate medical care common in the third world. Private hospitals in the area charge $250-$600 for this surgery. FAIR subsidizes the procedure allowing SCH to offer it for $250-$275 for more affluent patients. The cost to lower income patients is based on a sliding scale. Some do not have the means to pay anything for the service. Depending on the need, FAIR covers most, if not all, of the total cost of $500 per surgery.
The focus of the Special Delivery appeal is to raise funds for these life-saving and life-giving procedures.
To donate click here.