Dental and medical care in Guatemala can be extremely difficult for many people to have access to. The lack of access to dental and medical care is a big problem and often times, an all out crisis.
Our on site clinics will be staffed by graduates from the main university in Guatemala City that need a place fulfill requirements to finish their studies. We will partner with the Independent Missionary Network Dental Team in the staffing oversight of the dental clinic. We are really excited about this partnership and the opportunity to serve so many through it!
There are all kinds of benefits for so many through these clinics...let us explain how!
The on site clinics will serve multiple purposes...
--Recent graduates from medical and dental schools are required to “pay back” the government for their education. This payback period is 8-9 months. During this time, the doctors/dentists must provide free care to students from the local school system. The schools will bring the students to us, and we are allowed to share gospel materials with them as they wait.
This will be a great help to the graduating medical students.
--As part of the doctor/dentist payback service, they must also agree to train one or two individuals in the occupation of dental/medical assisting and/or office administration. Once trained, our program graduates will be equipped for real jobs, that pay as much as one and half times the country’s minimum wage.
This will be a great benefit to the young people in our program.
--We can incentivize the doctor/dentist to provide community care to adults by giving them a share of profits for services rendered in afternoon/weekend hours, while offering services to the community at discounted rates (to help those who are unable to afford typical rates). In doing this, the clinic should prove to pay for itself, while helping the doctor/dentist fufill their requirements as well as serve the community.
This will be a great benefit to the community around us {Ciudad Vieja} as well as an opportunity to share the Gospel!
We praise God for these partnerships and the ability to impact lives with loving physical care and life changing hope the Gospel through them! Learn more about the ministry of the IMN Dental Team here https://www.facebook.com/GuatemalaDentalTeam?mibextid=LQQJ4d
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