About Us

Soddo Christian Hospital opened in January, 2005, under the ownership of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation of Wiheaton, IL. The nonprofit foundation aims to provide desperately needed health care, given with compassion in the name of Jesus Christ. You can become an important part of this acclaimed medical ministry.

Background

Soddo Christian Hospital is the second mission hospital in the region; the first, an SIM mission hospital, was taken over by the Ethiopian government in 1974.

Read more about how God worked to build the hospital in an excerpt of “Today’s Decisions — Tomorrow’s Destiny,” an autobiography of Dr. Harold Adolph, who helped found the hospital.

Location

The hospital is located in Soddo, a city of roughly 80,000 people in southwestern Ethiopia, about 200 miles from Addis Ababa. (330 km) The Wolaitta region, which has about 2.5 million people, is one of the most populated and impoverished areas in Ethiopia.

Services

The 120-bed hospital provides a range of medical, surgical, dental, maternity and pediatric care. The facility is licensed for 199 beds.

It supplies diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, a laboratory, pharmacy, optometry clinic, dental clinic and four operating rooms.

There are five wards, including one for general surgery, one medicine and pediatrics, one obstetrics and gynecology, one for orthopedic surgery, and a surgical recovery/intensive care unit. Four additional wards are part of our long range 10 year plan.  If you would like a copy of our master plan we would be delighted to provide it via email.  Send your request to ken@soddo.org.

Common diagnoses include tumors and cancers, infection, trauma, deformities, malaria, tuberculosis, pregnancy complications, and mossy foot, a form of elephantiasis. HIV is not a uncommon problem (about 8%) in this rural area of southwestern Ethiopia.

The 180-member staff is made up of Christian Ethiopian doctors and workers, aided by expatriate specialists.

What Has the Project Already Accomplished?

 

1. We have opened our first 120 beds for inpatient treatment.
2. 18 of 28 major hospital buildings are finished. These include: surgical wing with four operating rooms, emergency department with X-ray, laboratory and intensive care departments, two surgical wards, a maternity unit, a pediatric ward, a building which houses the kitchen, staff dining, laundry and morgue, two generator houses, and two staff expatriate houses and three duplex units.
3. We have had visiting specialists with us for training and updating our staff. They have been in the specialties of anesthesiology, general surgery, laparoscopy, nursing, geriatric medicine, laboratory science, biomedical engineering, X-ray, sterilization, electric generators and electrical systems, dentistry, architecture and computer science.
4. A good water supply was located 127 meters below the surface. Two wells provide service to the hospital. 
5. Fifteen large sea containers have brought equipment and supplies from Switzerland and the United States. After arrival the containers are used for storage and installed as part of our "exterior wall" providing security to the site.  We are considering retro-fitting several containers to house maternity patients, to provide for at-risk pregnant women awaiting delivery.
6. We have developed partner relationships with The Pan African Christian College of Surgeons, John's Hopkins Medical Center. Samaritan's Purse assists with supplies and staff monthly support, and equipment repair.
7. Two OB-GYN surgeons have joined us this year. One general surgeon hopes to join SCH this next year and three other families hope to join the full time ministry in 2012
8. Site improvements identified on our long range plan have been completed including a reliable generator, septic system (the first in Soddo), and electrical service supported by a transformer to protect valuable medical equipment.