Health professionals in Solomon Islands are being trained not only to provide for a person’s physical needs but also their spiritual ones.
Three hundred Adventist doctors, nurses, nutritionists and other health professionals have received discipleship training as part of a “multiplying the impact” strategy in the Pacific.
South Pacific Division health director Dr Chester Kuma said about 50 per cent of nurses working in the government health service are Adventist.
“One of our biggest strengths in the Solomons is the number of health professionals who are Adventist,” he said.
“We have a group of people who are very good in their clinical areas but are they using that as an opening wedge to reach out to touch people’s lives, like the example of Jesus?”
Following the training, the health professionals were placed in teams and allocated to one of nine regions throughout the country.
“These health teams will focus on their particular region from now on until 2030,” Dr Kuma explained
“They will go into the community and do health assessments, give health talks and do night programs. Basically they are getting connected to the community and helping to meet their needs.”
Already some inspiring stories are emerging from the strategy.
“In the Isabel region, which is predominantly Anglican, a team has visited several villages,” Dr Kuma said. “The paramount chief of that island saw what the team was doing and he wrote a letter to every single village, saying ‘Open up your doors, the Adventists are coming. They have some good things to share with you.’
“It’s really, really exciting. People are very interested in this.”
