"The most needed thing in medical missions in the third world is the repair of medical equipment!"
~Dr. Ron Garst

BIOMEDS FOR CHRIST was birthed out of the perceived need to involve skilled men and women in the repair of medical and diagnostic equipment in medical missions in developing world. Biomedical technicians that have worked in medical missions are a rare breed. At the writing of this introduction we are six months old and are seeing fruit already. Biomeds have been matched with local ministries to repair equipment prior to shipping. Others have expressed an interest to travel and trips are being planned to Dominican Republic and Honduras.

Dr. Ron Garst who practiced orthopedic surgery in India as a missionary for 20 years then moved into Bangladesh after their war for the next 10 years. He was the only orthopedic surgeon for several million people in a post war economy. The hospital where he operated had no biomed techs and he worked on a hodge podge of equipment from Europe, Russia and the USA. He is about 90 years old. When I first met him he said, "The most needed thing in medical missions in the third world is the repair of medical equipment!"

What biomed techs will find in these pages are ways to help in the delivery of healthcare issues in the developing world. Guidelines for donations, lists of items appropriate for donations and inappropriate for donation are in here. It is appropriate at this juncture to point out that these lists are fluid and not all my rowdy mission biomed friends agree on these lists, but we try to find middle ground. Appropriateness is a major issue. We join with our friends at Technical Exchange for Christian Healthcare, Inc. in saying "No Junk for Jesus." Enjoy! If you are a biomed tech with a heart for medical missions join us and feel free to make suggestions in regard to content.

June 2005 -- In Christ, Dennis McCutcheon, Director, MedEquip Missions, a ministry of Helps International Ministries