PAACS Resident Profile
Dr. Ilda Badukila
General Surgery Resident
Centro Evangélico de Medicina do Lubango (CEML)
Angola
Dr. Ilda Badukila, a first-year general surgery resident at Centro Evangélico de Medicina do Lubango (CEML) in Angola, has been drawn to the hospital environment since childhood. She was influenced heavily by her mother, the first head nurse at CEML when it opened in 2006. Her fascination with the hospital, combined with a calling to help those in need, steered her towards a career in medicine. She remembers always being excited about going to the hospital, seeing it as a place where she could do something useful. This early exposure and inherent desire to serve others solidified her path to becoming a doctor.
During her high school years, Dr. Badukila prayed for clarity about her future, asking God to remove the desire to pursue medicine if it wasn't her path. The desire remained so strong that she didn’t have a plan B to fall back on. While attending medical school, she didn’t visit CEML as often, but she remembers one visit where she met Dr. Sam Fabiano, a PAACS surgeon who trained at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon. After graduating he returned to Angola to serve, and he inspired her. She admired the comprehensive skills of all the surgeons at CEML, like Dr. Steven and Dr. Annelise alongside Dr. Fabiano. They didn't limit their expertise to one specialty but rather embraced a truly general approach. "They operated on bones, urology, neurology, hydrocephalus—being truly general meant you could help more people," she explains.
PAACS has played a pivotal role in Dr. Badukila's development, both professionally and spiritually. Through PAACS, she has learned to depend on God more profoundly and integrate her faith actively into her daily life. "Every time I think about complaining, God has already provided an answer," she reflects. This spiritual growth has transformed her approach to patient care, encouraging her to view every individual as an image bearer of God. "Now, no matter their education, religion, financial abilities, they are a child of God, made in His image, and God loves them," she asserts.
Her relationships with attendings at CEML have also enriched her perspective on surgical care. She focuses on what procedures truly benefit the patient rather than viewing them as mere additions to her case list. She has felt God moving in a variety of different situations. "Many times, a thought comes to my mind out of the blue, and it’s correct. I didn’t know I was on call with the Holy Spirit. It's incredible." One particularly memorable case where faith profoundly changed the outcome involved a patient diagnosed with cerebral malaria. He was critically ill and not expected to survive the weekend. The team prayed with the patient and then prayed together as a team for him after their morning meeting. His condition was not improving, and they were preparing to perform CPR, anticipating the worst. Against all odds, the patient made a stunning recovery, waking up and breathing independently. Reflecting on this miraculous turnaround, Dr. Badukila acknowledges, "We genuinely did nothing; this was totally God's work," highlighting the importance of fully trusting God in each patient interaction.
Initially, Dr. Badukila intended to remain at CEML to contribute to its growth and impact. However, her aspirations have evolved, driven by a desire to become a proficient surgeon capable of serving God wherever He leads. "Recently, God has been shifting my desire to learn and be a good surgeon. I want to be able to serve God with all of my gifts and abilities, wherever He sends me. I am available," she concludes. Here am I Lord, send me to serve you where you choose and need me most in Africa.
