Our Vision
Medical Mission International’s work in El Salvador was inspired by a chance meeting (emergency surgery) between Dr. Roberto Araujo (“Araujo”) a Tampa surgeon and David King (“King”) a philanthropist. While recuperating from emergency surgery performed by Dr. Araujo in Tampa, King learned that Araujo had founded Medical Mission of Mercy (MMM) and with a volunteer group of doctors and nurses and had been providing free short-term limited medical and surgical care in primitive medical facilities since 1992, in Jucuapa, El Salvador. The effort had earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. King and Araujo, together, formed Medical Mission International, Incorporated (MMI) whose vision was to build a modern free-standing medical facility in Jucuapa, as well as to provide other renovations to existing facilities. Obtaining the necessary permits to build the facility from three different government administrations proved time consuming. Finally, in 2010, ground was broken and construction began on a modern medical/surgical facility, the medical portion of The David V. King Medical Center opened November 9, 2011. While waiting for the necessary permitting and permission for the Center, however, MMI worked with the medical community and completed several projects of medical significance in El Salvador. See, COMPLETED PROJECTS.
MMI has partnered with the World Gospel Mission, a non-profit organization with vast experience worldwide, to administer the Center. In addition MMI has received the gift of a mobile clinic that will give MMI the ability to provide direct medical and dental services to patients in more remote areas who are unable to come to Jucuapa and to identify selected patients for transport to the Center for specialized care.
Additional fundraising is required in order to complete and equip the surgical portion of the Center and to build other ancillary buildings on site such as a free standing dialysis center and a women’s clinic. MMI is confident that it can achieve its vision when donors, particularly corporations, can see that the Center is operating and serving its identified constituency. During its first week of operations, hundreds of patients were treated. There is a great need for modern medical services.
