About HealthServe Australia

HealthServe Australia (HSA) is an incorporated charity and an independent overseas health aid agency, recognised by the Australian Government for tax-deductible donations.

HSA seeks to help meet health care needs in our neighbouring countries of Asia, the Pacific and Africa where there are scarce health resources or there is poor access to health facilities. It aims to develop sustainable health programmes that will improve the total health and wellbeing of communities. 

HSA aims to help build a community's capacity for meeting its own health needs through partnership with community groups in projects that involve

• Health education of school teachers, students and community leaders
• Training of all kinds of health workers with an emphasis on community health
• Post graduate training and professional development of health graduates through in-service courses, and strategic selection of graduates for scholarships in post graduate formal studies
• The provision of multimedia resources for health education, and training of all kinds of health workers
• Community health development in dentistry, rural community health clinics, special units in hospitals where patients have a lack of access to such facilities

It also works in partnership with other international organisations, complementing their strengths with health resources. It has a special relationship with the largest group of Christian health professionals in Australia, the Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia (CMDFA) through which it was established. Many of the CMDFA members have worked for a number of years overseas in health work.

Our motto is:

"Partnering with Christian compassion; building local capacity to meet health needs"

• Assist people in developing countries with health needs
• Organise and co-ordinate health related ventures with overseas partners
• Act as a broker or advisor in procuring personnel, equipment and supplies for overseas ministries
• Provide opportunity for medical and dental students to do overseas electives

 

Our priorities are to:

• Focus on health development rather than disaster relief
• Focus our work in the region of the world closest to Australia (i.e. the Pacific, Eastern Africa, Southern and South East Asia) and/or where there is a special interest by our constituency with health work in which they are/have been involved

• Administer the HealthServe Australia Overseas Aid Fund as approved by the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Government Overseas Aid Agency.
• Respond to overseas requests for assistance with health needs in countries that the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs defines as developing countries for assistance by Australia
• Organise and co-ordinate participation in health related joint ventures with overseas partners in these countries
• Act as broker or advisor on procuring personnel, equipment and supplies for overseas health ministries.
• Provide opportunity for Australian medical and dental students to do student electives overseas
• Follow Jesus Christ's example of compassion and healing towards suffering and disease, embracing his concern for the needs of the whole person.
• Encourage members of the Association, its wider constituency and the Australian public to influence and participate in its various projects and activities.
• Operate an organisation without purpose of gain for its members

Our core values are:

As a Christian health organisation, HSA has core values of

• Compassion
• Integrity and uprightness
• Accountability
• Stewardship
• Justice
• Human dignity and human rights
• Equality and equity, with equal access to health care
• Respect for those of other cultures and backgrounds