ABAM organized its first-ever Consultative Fellowship with the Dimapur Area Ao Medical Doctors on August 30, hosted by Dimapur Ao Baptist Arogo (DABA), which witnessed participation of 52 Ao medical doctors in person and 15 others who joined online.
In his keynote address, Rev Temsü Jamir, Executive Secretary of ABAM, stressed the need to identify potential areas where ABAM and the medical professionals’ community can partner to provide holistic service to the people.
Rev Temsü stated that ABAM alone cannot determine the future of its medical institutions without consulting medical professionals, and hence the need for the consultative fellowship.
Laying out the basis for potential partnership between ABAM and medical professionals, the Executive Secretary identified specialized consultations, training, mentoring, medical camps, emergency and disaster response, and strengthening the palliative care initiative as potential areas of partnership and collaboration.
He also emphasized the need to promote a broader, community-oriented palliative care network, where medical professionals can get involved by identifying and becoming aware of the needs of people, especially the elderly, around them.
Rev Temsü further emphasized that there is much scope for Churches and the medical community to create common platforms where both pastors and doctors can identify areas of involvement and engagement to extend holistic service to the community at large.
Dr Sashi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Impur Christian Hospital (ICH), briefed the gathering on the history and the initiatives of the missionaries in establishing a hospital at Impur. He highlighted the progress made in the palliative care sector as a specialized area at ICH.
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In sharing the vision of ICH, he spoke about the establishment of the ANM School of Nursing and General Duty Assistant training programmes, through which about 300 personnel have been trained, while more than 200 trained attendants are actively serving in different capacities of providing care.
Dr Sashi stressed that while the vision is in place, its implementation will not be easy, and ICH needs the support of medical professionals.
Dr Obangjungla enlightened the gathering with her firsthand experience in palliative care ministry and highlighted the shortage of professionals in this area in Nagaland, which currently has only one MD doctor specializing in palliative care. Highlighting the palliative care ministry undertaken at ICH in its 114 years of existence, Dr Obang stated that ICH is the only hospital with a six-bedded palliative care facility. She further encouraged the gathering to undergo training in palliative care.
Dr Noktang, addressing the gathering from the perspective of medical professionals, said that manpower is the greatest need at this point. While the need for specialization in palliative care is evident, he stated that, considering the other areas of involvement at ICH, the focus should extend beyond palliative care alone. He noted that ICH began as a mission initiative and that the present generation is enjoying the fruits of what the missionaries had planted.
He, therefore, encouraged fellow medical professionals to regard their involvement as a mission and contribute in different capacities.
Noting that the number of Ao medical professionals amounts to at least a few hundred, Dr. Noktang positively affirmed that much can be achieved if the medical community joins hands and contributes collectively.
ABAM plans to organize similar consultative fellowships with Ao medical doctors in the Kohima and Mokokchung areas and is hopeful that these consultations will help produce well-structured and practical resolutions towards improving medical services at Impur Christian Hospital.
