Archive for the ‘Clinic’ Category

Posted on March 30, 2010 - by admin

Romanians go to Austria for Medical Care

See the very short article below.
—————————————-

“In today’s press, Cotidianul reads that 10 Romanians are hospitalized daily in Vienna, as they flee the poor conditions in Romania. AKH hospital in Vienna is the third biggest hospital in the world and renowned. Costs for those hospitalize start from about 900 euro/ day excluding treatments, surgery and post surgery treatment. An operation can cost up to tens of thousands of euro but all Romanians quoted in the article declare they are satisfied with the humane conditions in Vienna where doctors treat patients with respect, care and empathy unlike their previous experiences with Romanian doctors.”

—————————————
A few important notes. Those who tend to flee the country for medical help generally fall in 3 categories: 1) the ultra wealthy, 2) those with very special cases that no doctor in Romania will operate on, and 3) those who are very poor and seeking pity from foreign doctors.  Cases 2 and 3 are often linked.  Cases 1 and 2 are often linked.

Having said that, it is not uncommon for those who are fed up with the treatment they receive in the government hospitals, and who cannot find the services they need on the private market, to go West for better care.  Hungary, Austria, and Germany have all become destinations for people seeking medical treatment that is unavailable in Romania.  Sometimes they go there just because they are seeking someone who will treat them with respect, and charge a known price up front for their services.

For me, this article just confirms what we already know, and have heard 1 million times. There is a need for non-governmental maternity care offered from a perspective of human dignity and compassion.

Posted on September 7, 2009 - by admin

Abortion = Irresponsible women’s healthcare

Abortion is not just a moral/spiritual issue.  It’s also a health issue, a social issue, a psychological issue, a gender, and a race issue.  I don’t have time to explain each of those right now, although perhaps I should in subsequent posts.  But, I want to give one small example of why abortion is a health care issue.  Regardless of where you might fall on the spectrum of pro-life or pro-choice, there is one thing that we should all be able to agree on: pursuing abortion as a primary or even a significant method of “birth-control” is poor womens health-care.

FACT 1 – Romania has the highest level of cervical cancer in Europe (and it’s rapidly rising).
FACT 2 – Romania has the highest level of breast cancer in Europe (and it’s rapidly rising).
FACT 3 – Romania has the highest level of abortion in Europe (and #2 in the world).

Is there a link between the high rates of abortion and the rates of female specific cancers? Many unbiased medical researchers believe there is.  There are many other health dangers associated with abortion that I am completely unqualified to address, but there is information available about them.  Of course they rarely make it into the major publications because there is generally little money provided for people who would demonstrate any negative issues related to abortion, and when the results do show correlations, they are generally ignored by the mainstream.  I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy…it’s just true.

Posted on August 19, 2009 - by admin

God is our Provider

Today, during my prayer time I was inspired by some verses I was reading in the 5th chapter of 1st John. As I was praying out loud, the following ideas came to me. They are neither novel, nor complicated. Rather they are very simple, foundational, and frank. After I verbalized these ideas, I felt inspired for my own benefit to try to write out my words. It proved impossible to recreate them exactly as I had uttered them, but I did my best. Again, I did this initially for my own benefit only; as an affirmation to me. But I felt perhaps I should post them here.

My thought behind this dissertation was the task before us of raising money for a non-profit project in a non-charitable nation during a time of significant financial crisis. Humanly speaking this may be the worst time in the last 80 years to try to raise money for a charitable cause. Heavenly speaking – the time has never been better, because God’s net worth has not changed at all. His has simply shifted around his investments, so to speak. Below is what I wrote today.

——————————————–

God is our provider, and God is the owner of all. God owns every penny in each of our pockets. He owns every penny in each of our bank accounts. He owns each penny invested in each home, car, and portfolio of each man in every place on this earth. Everything upon this earth has simply been entrusted to earthly stewards; intended be used for earthy necessities and for God’s plans when He should see fit.

One of the biggest and most personally and socially destructive lies we can believe is that what we have belongs to us and to us alone. There is no such thing as a “self made man”. The most destructive concept to one’s own existence is to believe that they are somehow invincible and self-contained, owing neither gratitude nor charity to anyone for what they have and are. In a truly ironic twist, the deception of self-sufficiency is the great self-destructive belief propagated upon the earth.

God has the ultimate diversified portfolio. He has His resources invested in men and women in every nation on the planet. He has placed his resources into the hands of the godly and the ungodly alike. He is diversified racially, culturally, and religiously. God has not entrusted His resources to all men equally. He has entrusted more to some and less to others. Furthermore, with greater resources comes greater responsibility. This is a solid Biblical truth, not a guilt-motivating mechanism to induce giving, as some make it out to be. As in any company, higher pay comes with higher responsibility and higher accountability. At least that’s the intent, although it is not always practiced in our human run organizations. Spiritually speaking the principle is the same, yet God is not lax concerning His truths. Those with more resources will likely be called upon more often to release God’s resources for His work. However, experience and statistics tell us that the more people are entrusted with, the harder it often is to release what they have been given. God will hold each of us accountable for our stewardship.

God rarely, if ever, will liquidate a man or woman, or family, to get something done. But, He often calls upon us in all of our varied situations to participate in His work. When this happens, we are called to be obedient to release His funds according to His requests. If a very wealthy man, called by God in his heart, is asked to give $20, he is responsible to give $20. If a poor man is called upon by God to give $50 for the same cause, he has no excuse for giving less, just because the rich man gave less. God’s standard is not based on what we observe others doing, rather His standard is based upon His individual urging upon each heart to release His resources that have merely been placed in their keeping. Likewise, a wealthy man who is called upon to give $5 million dollars, cannot think he will escape responsibility by giving only $2 million dollars, though it be an unthinkable and greatly appreciated number in most of our minds. God does not care what we think is a lot of money…it’s all paper to Him. He cares only about the stewardship and obedience of the man he has asked to release His resources. The poor man who gives $20 instead of $50 can be just as guilty of hording wealth as the rich man who gives $2 million instead of the $5 million, if that is indeed what the Lord has requested of him.

God is our provider. God is our provider. Again, God, and no one else, is our provider. No one else can possibly be our provider because no one else owns anything in this life. They are merely storing it for the Lord of the Universe. We know that all of God’s resources are spread among the earth in the hands of various stewards in various amounts and places. Our job, as difficult and humbling as it is, is to partner with God to knock on the doors of mens hearts; calling them to release God’s resources, for God’s plan, for God’s kingdom so that God will be honored and God will be glorified in all that is accomplished in His name.
Anyone who has ever had to partner with God on such an endeavor knows that it is holy, yet frightening business. It comes with many joys and many perils, yet it is a distinct honor and privilege to be a part of God’s investment team! May God make us fit for the task, and may He receive all the credit for pulling it off.

Posted on July 11, 2009 - by admin

Paying the price for healthcare in Romania

A new twist…video blogging.  I am giving this a shot.  Shooting for an academy award.

http://www.thediplomat.ro/reports/paying-the-price-for-healthcare/

Posted on May 21, 2009 - by admin

New Friends.

I, Jon, spent the last 2 days in Bucuresti meeting with people from two organizations: Life International and Focus on the Family.

Life International was a founding partner with the ministry we work with, the ProVita Clinic Foundation.  That was 10 years ago.  Life International has a wonderfully solid reputation in the area of ProLife ministry both in the U.S. and abroad.  We receive visits from the leaders at Life International at least once per year.  They are still very involved in helping us with Board Development and long-term strategic planning.  They are a blessing to the ministry here by way of counsel, feedback, and opening many doors as I will explain in a moment.  It is always a joy to see them when they come.

In recent years, Life International has built a strong relationship with Focus on the Family.  Last year, some representatives from Focus on the Family came and spent a few days visiting 2 of our centers, including the headquarters here in Cluj.  We had a wonderful time with them, but were unsure of what might come from the relationship.  They were simply doing some scouting and relationship building to see with whom they might work in Romania.  We take no credit for it ourselves, and of course God receives all the glory, but we would be remiss if we did not mention Life International’s key role in bringing our ministry (ProVita) together with Focus on the Family.  I’ll cut to the chase.

Focus on the Family decided to make ProVita the recipient of their FIRST overseas ultrasound placement under their Sanctity of Human Life Program!  The center with the greatest need for this tool was our center in South Bucuresti, and so yesterday a celebration ceremony was held on-site with almost 100 people in attendance.  Visiting us for the ceremony was the new Chairman of the Board (who recently replaced Dr. James Dobson) at Focus on the Family, as well as the Senior Vice President, the VP of Sanctity of Human Life, and the Sanctity of Human Life Program Director.

I don’t think I could overstate the warmth and kindness that each of these people displayed.  Focus on the Family is an organization with a long history of fruit and is generally well-respected in many circles.  There are not many organizations that have had the reach and impact of Focus on the Family.  Yet, these key people within the ministry were as humble and self-effacing as could be.

I had the privledge of sitting with the Chairman (Pat) yesterday over lunch and coffee afterward, spending about 4-5 hours with him.  Despite the fact that there is nearly a 40 year age difference between the two of us, we discoverd we had much in common, including a love for the beaches of So. California!

Praise God for allowing us to work with people of such high character and fruitfulness.

Posted on March 27, 2009 - by admin

Bribery in Romanian Medicine

Medical Care in Romania Comes at an Extra Cost

Bribery is a real fact of the government health care system in Romania, and it has deep and significant effects.  To read the recent NYTIMES article above on the same topic, just click on the link to download it.  It’s simply a Word Document.

Posted on March 24, 2009 - by admin

Good news!

We were referred a while back to a private foundation that must remain nameless.  This foundation accepts proposals by invitation only.  They heard about our Life Medical Center project though a pastor in the S.F. Bay area who is friends with Dr. David Ille.

We submitted the initial proposal in July of last year.  We recently received a response that they are considering the project further and will be discussing the project at their board gathering in late April.  We are putting the final touches on our revised proposal to them…audits, financial statements, etc.

Granted, this is not a promise to help, and in the end, we might only get 10 bucks instead of the significantly larger amount we are seeking from them.  But, to move forward in the approval process is a blessing and an encouragement.  By the end of this week, we need to supply all the information they are seeking.

We are grateful for this encouraging step.

Posted on May 19, 2008 - by admin

Romania’s continuing abortion crisis…

Romania remains #2 in the world for the number of abortions performed per capita.

This fact is even more difficult to accept when one points out (as Life International President, Kurt Dillinger, did to me this week) that Romania actually holds the #1 spot in the world if we consider only democratic nations.

Posted on January 14, 2008 - by admin

Drywall + Ultrasounds = Health

The last couple of weeks, beginning with December 27th, we were building walls; the good kind.

Dr. David and I donned our hardheads…um, uh, I mean, hardhats, and did some remodel work at the existing clinic offices.  I am kicking myself now because I did not take any before and after photos.  We were working so hard and so fast that I simply forgot to do so.  So a short description, along with my crude diagrams, will have to suffice:

The OLD LAYOUT:  We had 1 large OB/GYN exam room (too large for its purpose), and 1 smaller pregnancy crisis counseling room.  One common hallway/waiting room led to both (see image below).

OLD…

We were recently gifted a new 3D/4D General Electric Ultrasound machine.  In an effort to maximize its usage and use the space available in a more productive manner, Dr. David decided to shift things around a bit.

The NEW LAYOUT:  First, we simply took the old counseling room and decided it would now be the OB/GYN exam room.  We then took what was the old large exam room, and added 3 walls and 2 doors, essentially creating 3 separate spaces out of it; one hall and 2 rooms.  This gave us a counseling room and a dedicated ultrasound room.  Both rooms are small, but manageable (see image below).  We hope to bring a cardiologist into the office at least part time so that the ultrasound machine gets full use for both OB/GYN exams and heart exams.

NEW…

The work is over, with the exception of a few remaining details and some small finish work.  Dr. David and I cannot take all the credit.  His teenage sons put in some time, as well as most of the other clinic staff and some other helpers here and there.

::  As an important side note, being able to offer the latest ultrasound technology is an important factor.  We are now 1 of only 3 clinics in our area with this capability.  It is a tremendous draw, both for OB/GYN patients, and women who find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy and are looking for help and answers.  Ultrasounds often help to bind an expecting mother’s heart to the baby growing inside of her.  The better the technology, the better we are able to help build that early bond between mother and child.  The greater that early bond, the more likely a mother is to keep and raise her baby.  That is our goal.  Healthy babies, being raised in healthy families; healthy spiritually, physically, and emotionally.