Compassion Ministry
(A Department of Castillo del Rey)
North American Healthcare Team
This section (GUIDELINES FOR A HEALTHCARE CLINIC FOR KING’S CASTLE MINISTRIES, EL SALVADOR) is
sent to every church desiring to bring a healthcare team. It explains what constitutes a team, what the medicines
cost for the week and what the per diem cost is for each team member.
A North American healthcare team consists of the following components:
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**Licensed medical doctor – At least one doctor is required with each team. Due to space constraints, the
maximum medical stations are 5 and the minimum medical are 2. A station consists of one doctor, physician’s
assistant or nurse practitioner. We receive many patient related questions each day and so, a doctor is
necessary. Also, AGWM/HCM rules require this.
**Nurses – 1 to 4 nurses.
Dental Hygienists – 1 or 2 people; no more than 2 please if you bring dentists.
Eye Doctors - 1 or 2 **optometrists/**ophthalmologists/opticians. For the same reasons as above, no more than
2 please.
Pharmacy – We always need 1 person to help in the pharmacy; however, if you are bringing a **licensed
pharmacist, another person could come as a support person.
Haircutters - 1 - 3 people. Space constraints usually limit our haircutters to 3.
Triage (Weight, blood pressure, temperature) – 1-2 persons
Crowd control – 1 +
Entertaining the children – 1 +
Translators
REMEMBER THESE NUMBERS ARE RECOMMENDED AND NOT REQUIRED
MEDICINES FOR CLINIC
The team will be responsible for bringing the necessary medicines, etc. to dispense to approximately 1000 patients
for a normal 4 or 5 day clinic. Kings Castle Compassion Ministries will provide a list of those items you will need to
bring to cover the normal illnesses seen in the clinics here. This fluctuates monthly with the cost of our European
medicines, but the normal cost is between $4,000 and $5,000 dollars, depending on the number of stations.
There will be a per diem cost for each night spent in El Salvador. That cost is $55.00 per night per person,
depending on where you desire to stay. Thus, for a 7-night trip, each member will owe $385.00 for food, lodging, and
transportation. We ask that you send the funds at least 3 weeks in advance to Don Triplett’s AGWM account. These
instructions will be sent to you.
Your airfare cost is a variable. The range is normally between $650 and $1,000 each; however, depending on time
of the year, special promotions, airline seating allocations and travel agency experience with groups, your prices may
be less.
Also, there is a $10.00 Tourist Card or visa Fee when you arrive at the El Salvador airport.
Compassion Ministry (A Department of Castillo del Rey)
North American Healthcare Team Training
Travel Issues
A trip to El Salvador could be one of the easiest trips you ever take. For the most part, the trip cost is not a major
factor. You will need to plan ahead several weeks to insure that you are getting the best ticket prices. Also
remember that each team member needs a passport. They need to have made application for the passport at least 6
weeks before the departure date. For those that have passports, the expiration date should be 6 months before you
arrive in El Salvador.
Visas for entry into El Salvador are obtained when you arrive at the El Salvador airport. They cost $10.00 per person
and the process is simple. With a group, simply get everyone together; explain to the immigration agent that you are
the leader of a XX member Christian Ministry team. Give the agent the address provided below and the date that
you will return to the U.S. This will negate questions for each person and the associated language problems that
follow. Most of the agents do NOT speak English. Thus, the team leader will need to be able to converse in Spanish
or use the information below to help in this process.
Because all the airlines serving El Salvador handle freight as well as people, we often have problems with
receiving all the bags. Here are some tips for making this process work as well as possible.
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Use suitcases to carry everything coming into the country. This would include clothes, medicines,
supplies, and equipment. We recommend that you bring one (1) suitcase for personal items and one
(1) suitcase for medicines, supplies and equipment. Boxes are presumed to be freight and thus, will
often be excluded from your flight luggage.
The best option for suitcases is to go to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. and buy used ones. They will
cost a small amount each ($2 to $5) and are ideal to leave behind in El Salvador. We can use them in
various ways.
Luggage Control: This is the procedure that we recommend for luggage control. Please follow this
guideline to assist in organization of your luggage and recovery of same, if lost:
1. Know, before you get to the airport to leave, what luggage items you have. Make a list of them,
especially those that will be checked on board the plane.
2. Each team member will receive the claim tickets for the baggage checked. These tickets need to
be controlled. You may choose to have your team leader take possession of them before
boarding, or collecting them upon arrival in El Salvador.
3. Locate all your bags.
4. Organize them to insure that you know exactly which bags arrived.
Customs: This is the procedure that we recommend for passing through customs with your team:
1. Look for your National castle team at the exit, and we will have for you the document secured here in the
country for your medicine.
2. If the agent asks about the supplies, simply show him the letters that should be placed on the top of each of
your medicines/supply bags. This letter is intended to explain who you are, and why you have these items
3. In your possession. You should have no problem. If something very unusual grows out of this matter, have
another member of the team find a King’s Castle person to assist with language problems and any
questions that need to be answered. Again, do not worry; you are not violating any laws.
4. Exit the building turning right. Castle people will be waiting to assist you in getting your baggage to the bus
and preparing for the trip to the lake.
Climate and Clothing Matters
By the time you get out of the airport building, you will notice that the weather is different than where you came from.
The temperature at the airport is probably around 90º (daytime) and 80º (nighttime). You are at sea level, thus you
are at the hottest of the temperatures that you will experience. As you leave the airport, you will move up, into the
mountains. Thus, the temperature will begin to drop. Depending on just where you are, the temperatures can be 15º
to 20º less. At night, that converts to the 60s and 70s and could seem a little cool.
For the four days of clinics, all healthcare workers will wear “scrubs.” Support personnel can wear scrubs also.
Men are allowed to wear jeans, and women are to wear skirts if they choose not to wear scrubs. No shorts or
sleeveless tops are permitted during work hours.
After hours clothing varies depending on where we are. Here are examples of the possibilities:
In a Church Service – Men wear pants or jeans and a comfortable shirt. Women wear skirts,
Dresses, or pants. NO SHORTS SHOULD BE WORN AT CHURCH
At the Lake – Men and women may wear shorts while on the Training Center grounds. However,
shorts must not be provocative in design. For swimming, men may wear normal swim trucks (no
bikini types) and women need to wear one piece suits (non-provocative).
Shopping or Eating Out – If we are eating out after work, you can wear your scrubs or daily work
clothes. For the Sunday shopping event and for sightseeing excursions, men should wear pants or
jeans, and women should wear pants, jeans or dresses.
Food and Related Concerns
We are typically asked questions about the food, water, etc. that you will come in contact with. While you will
experience food that is both different in style and taste from your “normal” diet and prepared quite differently, you
should always remember the following:
We want you to “have the time of your life.” This means that we work hard to monitor the type of foods that you will
eat and where you will receive this food. While we could never guarantee that you will not get sick, we do everything
possible to avoid places that might serve food that could cause problems.
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If you have a stomach that does not accept different type foods easily, you should take things slow as it
relates to sampling the local foods. Most of the time, you will simply be eating beans, rice, tortillas, chicken
and beef that have been prepared differently than normal.
Water should never be consumed direct from church, camp, and office faucets. We have bottled water everywhere
that you will be, and you should drink only the water provided. Remember that you are in a tropical climate. It is hot
here, and your body will use more water than normal. Therefore, drink much more water than you normally would. It
will seem strange, even unnecessary, but if you don’t, you will suffer consequences that could spoil your trip.
The vast majority of people that come each year have no problems with food or drink. Some of those that do have
problems create them by not listening to our advice. Others get sick in part because they worry themselves into it.
Finally, some get sick simply because they are not used to the different styles of food. The final two can be easy to
handle. Trust your leaders. They know what they are doing, and they would never take you somewhere to get you
sick. As mentioned before, if you have a history of struggling with new or different foods, sampling the local cuisine
may not be a good choice for you.
Health and Wellness Issues
We have the healthcare professionals that are a part of your team to help you, if necessary.
Also, we have Dr. Boris Magaña on staff to deal with any needs that you may have.
We have contacts in almost every healthcare specialty here in El Salvador. Thus, we can make sure that you are
receiving quality care regardless of who is providing it or where it is provided.
In the event of an extreme situation, AGWM will coordinate returning you to the States, to obtain U.S. care for those
issues that may be life threatening.
Normally, your family health insurance will cover anything that might happen here. In addition, AGWM requires that
you have insurance in order to be a part of the team. Thus, the costs of treatment will most likely be covered through
this coverage. (Please know that you will have to pay for any healthcare costs, in cash, at the time of service and
then be reimbursed by your insurance company after you return home. )
What Ifs
Every day can present what-ifs. Usually, we meet and deal with these almost without thought, but when we become
a part of a healthcare missions’ team, serving in a foreign country, we may get concerned.
WILL THINGS ALWAYS GO JUST THE WAY WE PLANNED THEM? Absolutely not!! As hard as we try to make
your trip perfect, things will go wrong. Buses will breakdown. Time schedules will change. People will let us down.
But through it all, we have the ultimate perfect answer; God is in charge and when we are at our weakest and least
capable, He can do His best work. We trust God enough to know that in our greatest problems, He brings forth the
most impressive results.
HOW IS THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE FOR THESE WHAT-IFS? Pray!!! Sound too simple? Well, it is. But
regardless, this is the answer. Before your trip, during your trip and after your trip, you need to pray. Beforehand,
you need to seek God’s heart for ministry. God wants to use you to change this world and present His Son. Only
through real prayer, dedicated to preparing your hearts for ministry and your minds and bodies for the rigors of the
work, will you be prepared for all that God has for you. We often see that God works best in the teams that seem to
have the most difficulty. Why, because then we call out to Him for help. This is not just a healthcare experience. It
is an opportunity to become a major influence in the spiritual lives of people desperate to know God and experience
His power, peace, joy and salvation.