A Jesuit Doctor in Zambia

An Interview with Father Ken Johnson, S.J.

In 1983, Father O. Kenneth Johnson, S.J. entered the Society of Jesus at 31 years of age, having already been a surgeon in an intensive care unit. A native of Chicago, Father Johnson now serves the infirm of Choma, Zambia.

When did you go to Africa?

Soon after ordination in the summer of 1992.

Why did you go?

I was sent. I was asked to go for at least a short time to see if I could be of help to the Zambia-Malawi Province and what it was doing. The Province had an interest in educational work on both the university and secondary levels.

How long did you think you would be there?

Two years.

How did two years turn into eight years?

I saw there were great needs, and some needs to which I could contribute. I initially taught at the university hospital. After two years in the capital, Lusaka, I thought it would be good to see what the rest of the country was like. I stayed because I saw a need, and I knew I could be of service. Now I work as a general surgeon in a fairly busy district hospital.

We often hear how in Third World countries there is need to make due with limited resources and facilities. Do you see any of this?

We have operating room facilities, and we do a great variety of operations. We see lots of fractures and lots of obstetric complications. We do major thyroid and kidney operations. We also repair nerves and blood vessels. These are major operations conducted with very limited resources.

What is the relationship of your priestly vocation to your ministry and profession as a surgeon?

It is very important that I am a priest. It is also very important that I am a surgeon. The two are intertwined. I am a priest, and people trust me. They know that I will work for them without being distracted by opportunities for financial gain and private practice. Because I am a priest, people expect that I will take extra time with them and try to understand the situation.

How has your experience in Zambia contributed to your "Jesuit-ness"?

I was happy to be part of the Jesuit educational enterprise. Now, because of changing manpower needs, I am part of another Jesuit tradition — that is, the ability and the availability to be able to go where the needs are great, and even difficult.

Specifically, what do you do in your apostolate?

I see over 100 patients in a surgical clinic every week. These are referred by rural centers; some are admitted to the surgical wards. I am in charge of their care in the hospital — many do eventually go to the operating theatres for both elective and emergency treatment.

Do you see much violence?

I see some violence. As I suppose there is everywhere, there are quarrels here too. There is some domestic violence, and that issue is beginning to get some national attention by women's lobby groups. There are patients who are the victims of mob violence — too often people take action against suspected thieves into their own hands and pummel the suspect into submission. Only rarely are there the stab wounds or gunshot wounds that people in the US associate with street violence, although this is becoming more common in the capital. Beyond all that violence, the most common injuries come from road traffic accidents, often cars. Others are farming accidents with tractors, sometimes rural accidents with ox-carts. There are no ambulances for general patient transportation so all these victims rely on someone eventually picking them up in an ox-cart or a pick-up truck. This means that some injured people do not survive to reach the hospital.

What is the poverty level like?

Over 80% live on less than a dollar a day. 30% of children in our district are underweight. We charge at the hospital about $2 for admission and about $6 for major operations. Many patients have to scout for these kinds of funds, and they put off hospital admissions sometimes for lack of funds. Like other Jesuits whose salaries go back to the institution, I am able to use part of my salary to supplement drugs and medical supplies in the hospital.

What is your Jesuit community like?

I live in a diocesan minor seminary which has been run by the Jesuits for the past 20 years. We have six priests in community: two from Poland, one from Ireland, two scholastics [seminarians] from Zambia, and me. The closest Jesuit community to us is 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) but we seldom go, because we cannot afford the fuel.

What is the food like?

We eat the staple food of the country which is nsima (prepared from cornmeal into a thick, fairly solid food not unlike mashed potatoes) together with "relish" which may be vegetable, meat, or fish.

What about the language?

There are 47 tribal languages in Zambia and 7 major languages. Tonga is the main language of the area where I am working.

How has your African experience changed you?

It has made me more patient. I thought I was patient before I came to Zambia, but I would admit a certain level of frustration when I first got there. I have learned a deeper sense of patience. People endure a great deal in silence. It has also made me reflect more deeply on the Providence of God for the people here and for myself as well. Many difficult situations seem to come to a happy resolution in which people's faith is confirmed.

What is the biggest challenge currently facing Zambia?

HIV/AIDS is a problem and, no doubt, the biggest challenge. It affects all aspects of the society. There are repercussions for the educational system (many teachers have died, more during a year than graduate from the teaching training schools), the number of employable persons has dropped (as many have become too chronically ill to continue working). So far there is access to the antiretroviral drugs only for the very wealthy in the country. And there are the religious and social efforts to try to understand the behavior that leads to such high rates of infection.

How do they live?

It is a little bit of a mystery. They somehow manage. Again there is a mystery to the Providence of God. People very readily mention their faith that God will provide what is necessary for the moment for his will to be done.

In the end, what is your story in Africa about?

The experience has shown me that the very basic needs that people have, such as education and health, can indeed be addressed if we are willing to do so. We have limited resources but we can accomplish a great deal. Some people can do a great deal with little. God seems indeed to be able to care for his people here.