The winners of the German Future Prize and Medtron’s CEO cut red ribbons
The snow-capped peaks of the Andes shone in the distance. A bright blue sky over Curahuasi. A crowded hospital church. In a moving ceremony, the winners of the German Future Prize 2023 explained why they had donated all their prize money to the purchase of an MRI scanner. An amount that was even doubled twice by Siemens Healthineers. Lissete Mathey, Country Manager of Siemens Peru, congratulated the Diospi Suyana team on their work for Peru’s needy. Markus Bappter (CEO Medtron) said thoughtfully: “I have never seen a project like Diospi Suyana in my life. Not in the whole world!”
Earlier, general surgeon Dr. Lukas Steffen had described the transformation of a delinquent drug addict into a follower of Jesus Christ. He said to a breathlessly listening audience: “In Christ’s parable of the 100 sheep, I was the lost one who was saved!” A TV team from Colombia and the TV channels Panamericana and Exitosa recorded the impressions.
The highlight of the tour of the Diospi Suyana Hospital was the cutting of the red ribbons in the X-ray department. The award winners and Lissete Mathey (Siemens) ceremoniously handed over the new MRI scanner. The CEO of Medtron AG Markus Bappert and Head of South America Walter Eichhorn cut the red ribbon in front of the contrast medium pump.
To attend the event, the German Honorary Consul Maria-Sophia Jürgens and Sr. David Hurtado (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) traveled all the way from Cusco. The three-hour tour was followed by a press conference in the media center.
In the afternoon the dignitaries visited the Inca ruin Saywite and a Diospi Suyana radio tower.
In the evening the visitors from Germany, Peru, Colombia and Chile sat together with many Diospi Suyana employees. It was an unforgettable and personal time. The award winners reported on their ten-year research project that led to the development of the innovative MRI. Heike Fiess, Dr. Elias, Kugel, Dr. Benjamin Zeier and Karina Pereyra described their vocation stories of working at Diospi Suyana. This meeting in one of the conference rooms will be remembered by many as an absolute highlight.
Dr. John told of his search for God, which culminated one night 30 years ago in a field outside Berlin. His cry “God, where are you, I want to see you” was answered. 122 TV reports about Diospi Suyana have made God visible to millions of people worldwide. The missionary doctor recalled an incident from the Swiss Benedictine monastery in Fischingen in 2011. For six weeks the monks listened to a chapter from the book “I have seen God!” while they ate in silence.
For many, the development of Diospi Suyana seems like a beautiful dream. The magazine “Management und Krankenhaus” once described Diospi Suyana on its front page as “Like a fairy tale from 1001 nights”. And the FAZ called it “A hospital built by faith!” in a Germany-wide article years ago.
