News & Stories

“Dr. Kim . . . Africa on Line Two!”

September 27, 2012

By Dr. Brett MacLean, serving Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children in Mali, West Africa

The following is an adapted excerpt from the MacLeans’ September update.

Moussa, 13, was brought to us after he had suffered for days. He was unable to eat or drink, having sustained a severe intestinal injury in a bicycle accident.

Since the teenager’s injury was in a location that we were unable to surgically repair, our surgeons called me into the operating room to determine a plan.

I did what any good doctor does—I asked someone who knows more. I called pediatric surgeon Dan Kim, who will be joining us fulltime at Koutiala next year.

From his office in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Kim talked the surgeons step-by-step through a complex intervention that they had never before performed.

Children, Bicycles, and Mali

Navigating rutted, unpaved roads is challenging for Malian youth, who typically ride their bikes to school. At the hospital, we see many children like Moussa who have been in bicycle accidents.

One of the greatest dangers for them is sustaining injuries from their own handlebars. When a bicycle’s handlebars rotate sharply, there is a great risk of blunt injury. We often see severe spleen and liver bruises.

Even after surgery, Moussa’s chances for survival were slim. But because of God’s grace and the care of our nurses, who put in lots of hard post-op work, Moussa was able to return home after a month in the hospital.

Since its founding in 2006, Koutiala Hospital’s purpose has been “to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ to the people of Mali through the provision of quality, specialized health care, and to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”

What You Can Do

Pray!

“Everything we do in Mali is the result of your prayers and giving,” says Dr. Brett.

Pray that Moussa will continue to grow strong in body and soul. Pray also for Koutiala staff workers to daily experience the Lord’s peace, wisdom, and strength, as they treat hundreds of children with life-threatening illnesses and injuries while contending with limited resources.

Give to the Great Commission Fund online. Partner with Alliance workers, like the MacLeans, to share Christ’s eternal hope—in word and deed—with children and their families.

 Learn More

Learn more about our work at Koutiala Hospital. Read Dr. Brett’s article “Partner with Alliance Workers to Save Children’s Lives.”