Agape Clinic shares Korean love [코리아헤럴드 2006-05-13 10:02]   In the late 19th century, foreign missionaries at Chung Dong First Methodist Church, behind Deoksu Palace (near City Hall Station), saw the need for education, opened Ewha Girls School - which later spawned the famous university of the same name - and accepted its first student, a young gisaeng. These days, Chung Dong Church is still driven by the idea of service to the needy; but it`s not foreigners serving needy Koreans, it`s Koreans serving needy foreigners. Every second and fourth Sunday afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the church`s 300 medical doctors and a host of assistants operate a free clinic for foreigners. They have named it \"Agape Clinic\" after the Biblical word for Christian love. The doctors and their helpers have set up the clinic in the church`s Social and Education Building. The modern building is handsome behind the historical Chung Dong Church. On clinic days, many of the building`s eight floors are temporarily converted from church use to an array of hospital uses. By 1 p.m. on clinic days, the first of the usual 150 patients are already arriving. Some have the signs of debilitation and hobble in on crutches, some have back-braces, and many wear the long faces of a body that is not working properly. All of them are foreigners seeking assistance. Many have no medical insurance, work for low wages, and are in no position to buy the expensive specialized medical services which are offered here for free. At 1:30 p.m. many of the visitors go upstairs to the first floor meeting hall where they register and collect a large patient number to hang around their necks. Some of the early arrivers choose to attend the pre-clinic service of Christian worship. The Rev. Choi Dae-kwang, an assistant minister in this church of 2,000 people, is the spiritual leader for the Agape Clinic. The service of worship is simple, he says. Hymns are sung to guitar accompaniment and a short address is given. Last Sunday he pointed to the historical figures of Moses, Abraham and Jesus and observed that life lived according to God`s guidelines is not necessarily easy but maybe meaningful. It`s hardly high-pressure evangelism. At Agape Clinic, patients receive the medical service and hear the reason. They may respond. The purpose of Agape Clinic, Rev. Choi says, is to offer both physical and spiritual healing. Dr. Park Hyung-sik, a professor at Yonsei University Dental Hospital, is the medical leader of Agape Clinic. He agrees with this goal. \"We want to share our love with foreign people, and we want to have a strong service mind,\" he says. Park asks his staff - identified by their bright yellow \"Agape Clinic\" vests - to sit among the patients during these minutes of worship. It is to show that the doctors and the staff and their patients are equal: the free service is provided with humility. It`s the only way. Soon after 2 p.m., more patients arrive in the registration room. The Agape Clinic helpers are busy organizing. They call up patients to the registration desk in an orderly fashion. The patients are asked for information needed by doctors: name, date of birth, occupation, nationality, allergies suffered, drugs previously taken and previous medical conditions. Patients are not asked for passports, nor visa status: The clinic provides a confidential medical service. Medical insurance is not needed. Although patients come from 32 different countries, the majority are from Mongolia, China, Philippines, and a few from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Russia, and Morocco. All foreigners are welcome. While patients wait for their number to be called, they are offered refreshments of soft drinks, tea and cake; it`s all done with a smile. Patients, when called, move to another desk where their blood pressure is taken on an automatic machine and where they are interviewed prior to medical consultation. Of course many suffer common complaints such as cold or flu. Others are looking for treatments for stress and blood conditions, and Agape Clinic offers consultations with a range of medical experts including ophthalmologist, acupuncturist, pathologist, pediatrician and obstetrician. Limited surgical procedures are also undertaken, and dentists are on hand as well. An auditor in the American military and volunteer at the registration desk, Gordon Craig says that the dental clinic, even with four patient chairs, backs up pretty quickly. It is sometimes necessary to book weeks in advance. After the initial interview, patients are directed to the services spread over four floors. The services offered by Agape Clinic are wide-ranging, like a hospital. But this is more than a hospital. After consultation, patients can take their prescription to the in-house drugstore and receive the required drugs - again free of charge. Ahn Sung-ja is the pharmacist in charge. She says that on a typical clinic day of 150 patients, 100 will require medication. She says it`s hard work making up that many prescriptions in three hours, but a happy atmosphere prevails and her helpers work as a team. She says that the church pays for the drugs, but they also regularly receive donations of drugs from Kookmin Ilbo, a local newspaper. While patients are receiving medical attention and medication, they can also take advantage of the free barber and beauty shop. Like the other services offered at Agape Clinic, it is also very popular. The beauticians are kept busy all afternoon. If clothes are needed, patients can pay a visit to the small in-house clothing shop. Items are not free, but they`re nice and very cheap: just 1,000 won each. By 5 p.m. on clinic days, patients leave the clinic in a much happier frame of mind. They can really enjoy the beautiful trees and streetscape that surround Chung Dong Church. The twice-monthly clinic at the church is not the only free service offered by Agape Clinic. Dr. Park says that they opened another free clinic in Geoyeodong, Seoul, for aged Koreans. The Agape Clinic committee has also decided to undertake three foreign missions a year. Two weeks ago a team of two medical doctors, four dentists, three pharmacists and eight helpers went to Siemrip, near Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There they treated 1,300 patients in three days. That was a lot more than expected that the team ran out of prescription slips and had to use blank papers. He said that such foreign medical missions are very impressive. According to Park, like all the services undertaken by Agape Clinic, it is a kind of training for the doctors and their helpers. The service of love has a positive effect on those who give. He says this is very important, especially for the many young people of the church who help with the simple organizing tasks. The church also holds worship in English. For more information, contact Rev. Choi at (031)-813-4674 or (010)-5552-4675. (paulngkp@yahoo.com) By Paul Longkamp Contributing