Missionaries Receive Superior Medical Care The Church has a wonderful network of medical services established throughout the world to serve all LDS missionaries. A statement that sums up the Church’s view on good health is given by Elder Dallin Oaks as he compares health and fishermen: “When you are sick, your line is out of the water.” Fortunately, with this medical network most missionaries can keep their “lines in the water,” thus serving the Lord in full capacity. We served in Nigeria and it was most comforting to know that an American missionary medical doctor assigned to advise the Area Presidency of the Africa West Area in Ghana was available. He also advised all of the mission presidents and their wives in the Africa West Area on missionary health issues. Though it seemed far away, Dr. Keith Merrill, the Area Medical Adviser (AMA) for West Africa was able to take care of many medical problems by telephone and by email. For instance, my husband had a strange growth appear that was very similar to a cancer that had been removed in the States. We took a picture of the growth, emailed it to Dr. Merrill and he responded immediately, diagnosing it as a fungus-type growth that often occurs in the tropics. He prescribed a medication that we found in a local pharmacy, rubbed it on the lesion, and soon the growth disappeared. Shortly after, one of the senior couple sisters came to the office and told me through tears, that she had what she thought was skin cancer. The lesion looked just like the growth that my husband had. I was able to pass along the good advice I had received from Dr. Merrill and with treatment and to her great joy, the growth soon disappeared. Without a doctor in whom we had trust in our West African Area, we would likely have been returned to the States for treatment. Thanks to Dr. Merrill, the problem was resolved locally so that we could continue missionary service. I suffered a bad fall during our mission and split open my forehead. I was given the option of being flown to Ghana or back to the United States for care. Instead, I emailed our good friend, Dr. Donald B. Doty, who serves as Chairman of the Missionary Department Health Services. He guided me through the procedure of taking care of my wound, then had me bind it with a tight butterfly bandage. His advice was excellent and my scar is minimal. Having these medical resources made available through the Church is a great comfort to both young and senior missionaries, especially as they are serving in isolated places throughout the world. Dr. Doty, who was previously an eminent heart surgeon, serves along with his wife Cheryl, who has proven herself invaluable in helping with many tasks at their office in the Missionary Department. Missionary Department Health Services is under the Missionary Department. The Presiding General Authorities are Elders L. Tom Perry and Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Twelve and Richard Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric. Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy is the Executive Director assisted by four other members of the Seventy. The Managing Director of the Department is Stephen Allen and the Managing Director of Missionary Services that actually manages Health Services is Robert Swensen. As Sister Doty gave me a tour of the department, it was impressive to see that there is an office manned by two doctors who answer phones daily from all over the world. It was also amusing to note that one of those doctors is always an orthopedist, which is necessary because orthopedic injury is one of the major problems that young male missionaries suffer while serving throughout the world! There are a number of In-Field-Representatives (IFRs) who act as coordinators and facilitators for missionary issues. All have served as mission presidents. They take calls from missionaries, mission presidents, and deal with small issues to major catastrophes such as earthquakes or floods, outbreaks of communicable diseases such as “swine flu,” coordinating with Church General Authorities in foreign lands and in Salt Lake City. Dr. Doty and the local AMA are consulted when the problem is medical or a mental health issue. In order to accommodate the different time zones around the globe, IFRs are in Salt Lake and are supplemented by others situated in Frankfurt, Germany and Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Doty sends a newsletter every month to all of the doctors and nurses in Missionary Department Health Services around the world. In the newsletter for May 2009 he states in regards to the “swine flu” scare: “By the morning of April 27, local newspapers were using the word ‘hysteria.’ We learned later in the morning that our AMA’s (Area Medical Advisers) in Mexico, Dr. Ed Spencer and Dr. Roger Brunt, had reacted to the problem appropriately, without fanfare, to calm the situation by providing sound advice to the mission presidents. Later in the day information and directions had been sent to all AMAs world-wide. A pandemic planning section was opened on our website providing additional resource information. The next day all mission presidents had received instructions from the Missionary Department as to how to proceed.” Thus, the network of missionary doctors can react to medical issues rapidly and decisively and can be provided with the information they need in a short period of time. It is comforting to note that with the Church’s usual efficiency, all mission presidents around the world had been instructed as to how handle the problem within two days. Psychological problems can also be a health problem for missionaries. There are two psychologists assigned to the Missionary Department from LDS Family Services. These two professionals spend the major part of their days providing advice to mission presidents and their wives and providing counseling support to missionaries. They are also available daily to take phone calls. In addition, there are ten mental health advisers serving as missionaries around the world serving to provide support to missionaries struggling with mental health issues. This service has allowed many missionaries to complete successful missions that might have otherwise failed with an early return. There is a list of doctors from the Salt Lake City area who are Church Service Volunteers living at home and who take calls from the Area Medical Advisers and provide immediate consultation. These doctors are usually in active practice of medicine and donate their time and experience to the missionary effort. In addition to approximately 40 medical doctors serving as AMAs, there are an equal number of registered nurses serving as missionary specialists in missions around the world. These include married or single senior nurses and many young nurses having 1-2 years of nursing experience after graduating from nursing school. Dr. Doty has a map of the world in his office pinpointing all the different areas of the world with the names of the Area Medical Advisers and senior nurses. Sister Doty keeps this map current which is no easy task with all the comings and goings of the missionaries. Dr. Doty liaisons with these individuals, dealing with a variety of medical problems. He attends medical conferences taking place in different areas of the world and sometimes travels to areas to escort missionaries with serious medical emergencies back to their home cities for diagnosis and treatment. A monthly continuing medical education meeting is arranged by Dr. G. Michael Vincent, formerly Chief of Medicine at LDS Hospital, where Area Medical Authorities, returning from their missions, report on the variety of medical problems they encountered, dealing with treatment and cost evaluations. The focus is on educating health professionals according to the assessed needs of each area in order to improve missionary health, maintain their health and to reduce early releases for medical cause. I was able to sit in on one of these meetings and was delighted to find that my previous pediatrician from Bountiful had been serving as the AMA for the Mexico Area in the Mexico City and South Area. Dr. David Scott and his wife, Jean, were serving their second mission, having previously served in Nepal, teaching at the University of Katmandu and spending time in emergency rooms and wards. Dr. Scott was AMA for ten missions until the last part of his mission when he had all 21 missions in Mexico under his jurisdiction. He reported on various subjects including providing support for mission presidents, taking 100-200 calls per month, and getting to know 5,000 plus missionaries, 70% of whom were Latinos. He talked about the important role of an Area Medical Adviser in putting into place local medical care networks of qualified local doctors, both members and nonmembers, who will agree to see and take calls from the missionaries. Wives of doctors who are serving are impressive as they find their own service niche. Sister Scott helped in presentations to missionaries, kept track of medical histories and was involved in service projects, initiating a project where crocheted baby hats and blankets were donated to hospitals each month. She helped wards get involved, which is very difficult because being so poor themselves, they have little funds for service projects. She taught them to tie quilts, provide school bags, and make personal hygiene kits. A second doctor reporting was Dr. Terry Rich from Salt Lake City with his wife, Marilyn. Dr. Rich was the AMA for the North American Northeast Area. He served 18 missions, which included Toronto, Montreal and Nova Scotia and 14 missions in the northern United States from Michigan to Washington, D.C. Dr. Rich had been a pathologist and found it an interesting experience to become a family practitioner and psychologist. He greatly appreciated the network of doctors in Salt Lake who had expertise in areas that he did not and were willing to take calls from the Area Medical Advisers. He and Dr. Scott both emphasized using the Mission Health Guide given to missionaries at the MTC saying that the majority of health problems could be avoided if the guidelines for health and exercise in this health booklet were followed. All Area Medical Advisers and their wives are sent out as proselyting missionaries. While they spend most of their time on medical issues, Dr. Rich said that his mission would have been totally impossible without his wife. They worked together with presentations to missionaries in over 100 Zone Conferences, used pass along cards, book clubs, dinners in their home and he participated in baptizing, ordaining, home teaching and baptizing 13 individuals in their ward. He had up to 600 calls per month and one month even received about 1200 calls! Sister Rich helped with after-school sewing classes, mostly instructing young African Americans. She helped implement a summer reading program, including non-members with whom she became very close. A sweet spiritual experience that the Riches had on their mission involved an Elder “I” (so called because of his long name.) Elder I was half Tongan and half American Indian and was from the North Dakota Indian reservation. He had been diagnosed as bi-polar, but was functioning and very well liked. He had been serving for 20 months and helped control his illness through exercise. He would run around the block for five miles at a time which kept him functional. As he attended a Zone Conference in the New York South Mission, there was a new mental health advisor who attended that conference who had been on a mission to North Dakota. He met Elder I, and knowing the conditions to which this Elder would return, the health advisor said that the Elder must be treated now on his mission or he would go back, never be treated and eventually would become non-functional. Through the “tender mercy” of Heavenly Father, these two were brought together, medication was prescribed which will keep Elder I’s illness in check, and the health advisor said that this young Elder can now go home to the reservation and exercise his priesthood and his leadership abilities, being able to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. For those senior missionaries who have medical experience and are contemplating missions, this is a vitally needed service. As there will certainly continue to be great disruption and catastrophes in the world, it will be even more essential to have qualified strong LDS medical personnel serving as missionaries around the globe. No Comments | Post or read comments FEATURES |
May 27, 2026
May 27, 2026
