Soddo Christian Hospital is located in southern Ethiopia where there is limited healthcare available for a population of more than 3 million people. Ethiopia is among the poorest countries in the world and unable to provide adequate healthcare, especially in rural regions. To address the great need, Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH) was established to provide compassionate care and comfort for the sick. The hospital is self-sustaining, as most medical procedures are fee-based. Our Benevolence fund assisted over 38% of our patients in 2010. St Luke's Health Care Foundation of Wheaton, IL was established to provide funding and assist with the operational management of the hospital.
Training of national medical personnel has been a priority from the beginning. Currently the hospital is in a partnership with the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) as one of six PAACS training centers. PAACS trains national doctors over a four year surgical residency program. PAACS residents must agree to pratice in-country for a period of 5 years after their training. This eliminates the current trend of residents training internationally to never return to their home land. Currently, there are five PAACS residents at Soddo.
