What is it about?
This article looks at Short-Term Medical Missions—trips where volunteers provide healthcare in other countries for a short time. While these trips aim to provide medical care, they can also create dependency, disrupt local healthcare services, or prioritize the volunteers’ experience over the needs of the host community. We explore these issues using insights from different theories of justice. The goal is to show how these missions can be designed in ways that truly benefit local communities, promote long-term health, and respect the people they aim to serve.
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Photo by Michael Ali on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Short-term medical missions are increasingly common, and the voices of host communities call for careful ethical reflection on how these initiatives are carried out. This work brings together multiple theories of justice and introduces Ignatian discernment as a practical tool, helping translate ethical principles into shared decision-making. By connecting theory with practice, it offers a way to design missions that are more equitable, responsible, and genuinely supportive of the communities they aim to serve.
Perspectives
From my perspective, this publication reflects over 12 years of experience collaborating in a hospital in Africa, where I have seen both the potential benefits and unintended harms of short-term medical missions. I wrote it to move the conversation beyond good intentions and to encourage thoughtful, justice-oriented approaches.
Carlos Gomez-Virseda
Associatie KU Leuven
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Beyond Good Intentions: A Justice-Based Critique of Short-Term Medical Missions, Journal of Religion and Health, January 2026, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-025-02544-8.
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