The Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS)
SPECIAL BULLETIN 
April 19, 2009
URGENT MESSAGE
            Banso Baptist Hospital, formerly a PAACS Training Center until it lost its program director, is now about to lose the services of Dr. Chukwudi Okorie.   Dr. Okorie, who graduated from the PAACS program at Banso in August, 2007, must return to his home country of Nigeria to help his family and his aging parents.  His unexpected departure will leave this 200 bed, full-service hospital with only one surgeon.
            On April 17, Professor Pius Tih, the Director for Health Services at Banso wrote,  
“The Okorie family plans on returning to Nigeria by June 7th 2009.  This leaves BBH with one Surgeon, Dr. Salia [a recent PAACS graduate], to carry a load which 10 Surgeons were carrying just a year ago.  Please consider this as emergency and help us get a surgeon soon.”            
            The hospital, which serves a large population in the mountains of northwest Cameroon, hosted a PAACS training program between 2003 and 2008.  At its peak, it was training six surgery residents and performing more than 3,000 major operations a year.   PAACS would very much like to reopen its training program in general surgery at Banso, but needs at least two full-time, board certified surgeons to do so.
            If you are a surgeon in any surgical specialty and can give one or two months of your time to Banso Baptist Hospital, you will be mightily blessed.  You will also help Dr. Salia keep his head above water!  If you are board-certified in general surgery and love to teach, there could be the opportunity of a lifetime waiting for you as a PAACS program director.  
            If you are interested in serving either short-term or long term at Banso Baptist Hospital, please contact either Bruce Steffes at ceo@paacs.net, or myself at paacsdirectorafrica@gmail.com.   
If you cannot serve, please pray earnest that God will provide surgeons to help Banso and will soon allow us to reopen this training program. 
Sincerely in Christ, 
David C. Thompson, MD, FACS, FWACS