PAACS Resident Profile
Dr. Clarisse Girincuti
General Surgery Resident
SIM Galmi Hospital
Niger
Growing up in Burundi, Dr. Girincuti experienced a profound sense of emptiness, loneliness and a lack of love in the early years of her life and sought to fill that void. Thankfully, this journey led her to a community of Christian friends and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
As Dr. Girincuti's faith grew, God guided her towards a career in medicine. After seeing her remote community in the country of Burundi suffering significantly due to the desperate need for surgical care, God moved on her heart to become a part of the solution. During her internship at Kibuye Hope Hospital in Burundi, she met a graduate of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), Dr. Agneta Odera, a female surgeon. While working closely together, Dr. Girincuti was passionately inspired by Dr. Odera’s kindness, humility, compassion, and incredible surgical skills. So deeply touched by her time with Dr. Odera, Dr. Girincuti felt called to follow in her footsteps towards a future in surgery. She applied and was accepted into the PAACS program at SIM Galmi Hospital in Niger, the same training and discipleship organization as her mentor. She was excited to be a part of a program that would train her as a skillful surgeon and cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Dr. Girincuti faced many challenges after leaving her home country and community to pursue this path. Faithfully trusting the Lord, she fully immersed herself in the PAACS program and learned surgery while being discipled to help others. Dr. Girincuti was tested when one Sunday, a non-Christian patient arrived at SIM Galmi Hospital with acute urinary retention. She was under a great deal of pressure and nearly forgot to pray before the procedure, a practice encouraged by her PAACS training. Realizing this, she promptly took that moment to pray alongside the patient. During their prayer, God asked Dr. Girincuti to share the Gospel with him. After hearing about the sacrifice and love of Jesus, the patient felt deeply moved by the message. Upon leaving the hospital, Dr. Girincuti and the staff directed him towards other Christians and churches in his community to help further his exploration into the Gospel and the need for Jesus in his life. Dr. Girincuti still faithfully prays for this patient and his journey towards a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dr. Girincuti remembers how she used to feel shy and insecure about sharing the Gospel of Jesus with non-believers, but this moment turned her fear into fire. Her PAACS surgical training addressed this patient’s physical needs and her discipleship training taught her to share the healing power of Christ.
She is blessed to witness the power of prayer each day during her residency at SIM Galmi Hospital in Niger. Her surgical skills and spiritual confidence in prayer with her patients became her greatest tools when facing challenging cases. She continues to joyfully spread the Gospel. Now, as a fifth-year resident, facing complex procedures alone, she turns first to prayer — a testament to her growing surgical skills, faith, and confidence. Her commitment to holistically treat her patients leaves a lasting impact, embodying PAACS's mission through her prayerful practice and her own touching testimony.
