PAACS Resident Profile
Dr. Tefinirina “Tefy” Razafimanantsoa
General Surgery Resident
Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly Mandritsara (HVMM) - Madagascar
Dr. Tefinirina Razafimanantsoa is a first-year resident at one of the newest programs of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) at Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly Mandritsara (HVMM) in Madagascar. After his medical training, he decided to serve God at HVMM where he met Dr. Ted Watts. As the only surgeon on staff at the time, he asked Dr. Tefy if he was interested in being trained in surgery.
Almost a year later, Dr. Watts shared about an organization called PAACS and its surgical and spiritual training programs in Africa. They began praying about more surgeons joining their hospital and eventually starting a PAACS program at HVMM.
After nearly two years, a PAACS program began in January 2022! Dr. Tefy says that becoming a PAACS resident means “pursuing the vision which God put in my heart.” He believes that PAACS is the only program that fulfills his interest in both surgical training and evangelism.
HUMILITY AT HVMM
One of the biggest impacts Dr. Tefy has experienced in only the first few weeks of training is the culture of humility. When his attending sat down and washed his feet at the white coat ceremony, he understood how Peter felt having his feet washed by Jesus. He had never seen this type of character in the non-Christian surgeons he knew before PAACS. The humility extends across the entire team, strengthening relationships and improving communication with nurses and other staff. The whole team is comfortable working with one another, and it results in better overall care for their patients.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MADAGASCAR
In Madagascar, there are many barriers to accessing surgery: a lack of surgical infrastructure, a shortage of surgeons, and high costs for surgical care. Dr. Tefy wants to minimize these problems for his fellow people of Madagascar. He plans to continue serving God in Christian hospitals for the rest of his life. He also has a desire to train young Christian doctors in the future and one day build a Christian hospital in a region near his home.
