Jacob Ko, NSD Health Ministries Director
The Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) Presidents’ Council of the Adventist HealthCare Association (AHCA) was held Oct. 4-6, 2022. About 30 Adventist hospital administrators, medical doctors, and department heads, representing 11 member hospitals from NSD and one associate member, participated in the council.
AHCA is an organization based on the biblical principles of health and healthcare as amplified by Ellen G. White in her writings. The main goal of AHCA is to help the healthcare institutions provide excellent service and to fulfill the mission of being an integral part of the proclamation of the everlasting gospel to the world in the context of the Three Angels’ Messages.
The group meeting in Japan consisted of 11 full members and one associate member: Adventist Medical Center, Eden Adventist Hospital, Hong Kong Adventist Hospitals (Stubbs Road and Tsuen Wan), Kobe Adventist Hospital, Sahmyook Adventist Dental Hospital, Sahmyook Medical Centers (Busan and Seoul), Taiwan Adventist Hospital, Tokyo Adventist Hospital, Yeosu Sanitarium Hospital, and the associate member, Penang Adventist Hospital.
NSD has held the AHCA Presidents’ Council every year. But due to COVID-19, the annual meeting was held online for the past two years of 2020 and 2021. Dr. Toshihiro Nishino, president of Tokyo Adventist Hospital, and Dr. Huang Hui-Ting, president of Taiwan Adventist Hospital were re-elected as AHCA president and secretary in 2021. In October 2022, AHCA decided to have the Presidents’ Council onsite in Tokyo, Japan. Although the pandemic was still ongoing, God heard our prayers and protected AHCA delegates attending the meetings in Tokyo without difficulties or spreading the virus during the meetings.
There was an agenda item that had been approved from AHCA Extraordinary Presidents’ Council in March 2022. That was to agree to a supporting fund for Mongolia Adventist AMOS Dental Clinic to purchase a medical device. There was a request from Mongolia Mission president about the critical need of a panoramic X-ray machine for improving service quality for the AMOS Dental Clinic. AHCA was willing to support the health care mission in Mongolia, one of NSD’s countries. Providing this fund is the first step, and staff training and technology sharing will follow in the near future. AHCA officers and members are planning to visit the AMOS Dental Clinic in 2023.
AHCA invited Lyndon Edwards, Chief Operating Officer of Loma Linda University Health Hospitals, to give special lectures regarding the vision and quality of service of Loma Linda University Hospitals. He also talked about how Loma Linda met the great challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic in their region. He told impressive stories of doctors, nurses, and staff and their services to COVID patients. Attendees learned how Loma Linda focuses on the medical ministry mission and the goals of comprehensive health ministries. They not only pursue the highest health care service standards but also patients’ spiritual care as Jesus did.
One of the highlights of the meetings were the reports from each hospital. They gave thanks and glory to God for the blessings and honor they have received. They shared their burdens and challenges in the past and how they pray and support each other. Most of the reports focused on the health mission and spiritual work in their hospitals as well as in their communities. All the delegates were blessed in the AHCA gathering through this fellowship.