Dr Rick Sacra, a US medical missionary and Ebola survivor serving in the West African nation of Liberia, has won this year’s $US500,000 2018 Gerson L’Chaim Prize.
The prize, which is awarded by African Mission Healthcare and is now in its third year, is given for “outstanding Christian medical missionary service”.
Sacra was serving with mission organisation SIM when in 2014 he returned from furlough in the US to assist colleagues at the ELWA Hospital in the Liberian capital of Monrovia as they cared for Ebola victims. He subsequently contracted Ebola while delivering a baby and was evacuated to the US.
He has since returned to Liberia where he and his wife Debbie have served for more than 20 years.
Sacra and the ELWA Hospital will reportedly use the $US500,000 prize to train Liberian family medicine residents, and install solar capacity and establish intensive care units at the hospital.
Sacra is also the beneficiary of a matching challenge grant collaboration between African Mission Healthcare and the Christian Broadcasting Network under which $US2 million is being provided at eight mission teaching hospitals in Africa to expand care, training, and infrastructure. At ELWA, these funds will be used to support the family medicine training program and to provide medicines to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS.
African Mission Healthcare is a non-profit organisation which aims to strengthen mission hospitals to aid those in greatest need and since 2010 has distributed some $US20 million to assist 40 facilities in 16 countries.
The Rabbi Erica and Mark Gerson L’Chaim (“To Life”) Prize for Outstanding Christian Medical Mission Service is the world’s largest annual award dedicated to direct patient care. The award dinner will be held in New York City in January.
