Blog vol 4.15. The Boat Goes On….
In the 60’s Sonny and Cher coined the famous song “The Beat Goes On”, later making it the theme song for their popular variety show. With a slight modification, we have: “The Boat Goes On”, specifically the hospital boat that Medical Ministry International (MMI) is building on the Amazon River. A big dream, to provide sustainable, ongoing care to 280 communities in the Amazon basin — a region of the world that does not have much in the way of ongoing medical care.
How to do this? The Mau Ipata, the House of Life in the Tacuna language, a hospital boat. We are all so excited, the workers are putting the finishing touches on the basic hospital. It is presently being fitted with air conditioning and huge diesel engines. Then the boat will be taken to Leticia, a city in southern Colombia on the Amazon bordering Peru and Brazil where the clinics, surgical suites, exam rooms, and lodgings will be installed.
This past week, the patients and staff at Burlington Eyecare celebrated the reaching of our goal to provide funding for the ophthalmologic equipment necessary for a basic eye clinic: $50,000!
We did it!!!! Yeah!!!! Thank you everyone! So amazing!
It is fitting that Leticia is the final destination for assembly as it is in the centre of the three countries involved. Colombia, Peru, and Brazil have all worked together to make this possible which, in this highly political world, is a miracle in itself. The support for the work has been overwhelming, bringing together lots of people from all over North and South America.
Many of my patients were so happy to be able to support a work where you know that the funds will be put directly to the source, straight to the purchase of equipment for the eye clinic on the hospital boat. The equipment is being purchased in the host countries, and no one involved is benefitting from the purchases.
The projected launch date is October 2024; the Mau Ipata will be fully operational. We look forward to that event, it should be a wonderful christening (hope to get video footage of that one).
So many people will benefit from the services this boat will provide, just basic things we take for granted here in Canada. These services will be funded by Medical Ministries International (MMI) and the local governments. If we can alleviate needless suffering and grief if we can really see people enough to help them… what a gift to be able to share.
Thank you all so much for your excellent support, it’s a lovely thing.
the good doctor
