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Sister-Doctor Marina Malieakel The late Sister Marina Malieakel was a shining example of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. Sister-Doctor Marina, an OB/GYN specialist and surgeon, joined Medical Mission Sisters in South India in 1965. A doctor and teacher, she was in mission in Malawi before she moved to Holy Family Hospital in Berekum, Ghana, ten years ago. After serving as Medical Director at the hospital, in 2003 Sister Marina was asked by Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi of the Sunyani Diocese to become the Acting Administrator. She accepted this role in addition to her other responsibilities. "She was a great soul, who gave herself totally and selflessly in the service of God and humanity," Bishop Gyamfi says. "As a physician, administrator, and teacher, she seldom found rest for herself." As a physician, Sister Marina was able to help many high-risk women carry pregnancies successfully to term. She also cared for many priests and religious in the diocese, and was able to diagnose serious illness and arrange for timely treatment. Berekum's Holy Family Hospital is one of just a few hospitals in Ghana accredited for post-graduate training for doctors in gynecology and pediatrics. "Sister Marina shared her expertise with her students, and gave them the needed guidance to help them become experts in their respective fields," Bishop Gyamfi recalls. In her limited spare time, Sister Marina loved to cook. "As a colleague and friend, she warmly welcomed and made herself available to anyone who came to her home," remembers Bishop Gyamfi. On November 25, 2006, our Sister Marina passed away suddenly in Kumasi, Ghana, after a brief illness. "We thank her for the gift of herself," reflects Bishop Gyamfi. "We have been blessed for having her with us. We shall greatly miss her… surely, she was an epitome of a missionary in a foreign land."
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