"They are the poorest of the poor." said Joyothe Semaratne of the 35 neatly dressed women waiting their turn at the health clinic sponsored every full moon by the Rawathwatte Methodist Church. Joyothe is the secretary and registrar of the clinic.
In the Buddhist culture of Sri Lanka, every full moon is a holiday called "Poya." It is a day of special celebrations at shrines and temples. But for Dr. Nihal Noonis and a half-dozen volunteers it is a day to serve the poor. For eleven years Dr. Noonis has opened a clinic in the middle of the 
fellowship hall where people with no income and no prospects can come for health care. Even though Sri Lanka has a socialized medicine program, the average person can wait weeks for an appointment to see a consultant, the common name for a general practitioner in the country. For the very poorest, who don't know how or can't work the system, the appointments just aren't available.
So Dr. Noonis and his team open the doors of the church. They give basic physical exams, deal with basic health concerns, and write prescriptions that are filled at a nearby pharmacy and paid for with a voucher from the church. "Medicine is very expensive here and isn't covered under the government health care system." Said Dr. Noonis. So the church pays the bills and the people receive their medicine.
Each patient has a medical file that has been created by the health clinic team with a record of their exam and test results as well as treatment orders and notes. The team maintains these well-organized records and provides a copy for each patient to keep at home and bring to appointments in the system.
When a condition requires more intense treatment or surgery, Dr. Noonis can order them to be admitted to a nearby hospital for care. This hospital care is covered by the state health system, though the wait for admission is sometimes agonizing and sometimes deadly even with a respected doctor ordering the admission. There just aren't enough facilities and hospital personnel to give access to anyone on a walk-in basis.
With the expenses of the new building, the church has run short on funds to pay the pharmacy bills in recent months. They are looking for partners and supporters who can help fill the gap. How much does this program cost? About $70.00 US per month preserves the lives and health of about fifty people ever month. It is amazing how much good a small amount of help can do in a place like Sri Lanka.
These are the kinds of investments to change lives your church is making in the world every day.
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