Hearing the news that Dr Ted Germond has gone to be with the Lord caused me to react with mixed feelings. Deep down there is a part of me that rejoices with him. Ted ran his race well, and ran it strongly to the end. Ted lived so richly, so full of passion. He trusted God with the innocence of a little boy and cherished his relationships with others.
Ted was born in Lesotho to missionary parents. From an early age he learned to serve others, be there for them and trust God that his own needs would be taken care of. Ted studied medicine at UCT and returned to Lesotho in the 1950s. He served at Morija Hospital (south of Maseru) for many years. The mission was known to be a service to the community and very appreciated far and wide. Ted attended to Queen Mamohato of Lesotho when the current King of Lesotho (King Letsie III) was born in Morija (July 1963). Ted had a servant heart and together with Ilse they served God and the people of Lesotho for many years at Morija. In this time he was instrumental in getting PHAL (Private Health Care of Lesotho) off the ground and supported it by being the general secretary for many years. This was an umbrella body of the various church groups in Lesotho providing health care from a collective bargaining forum in order to negotiate cheaper prices of medicines and equipment for health care providers. This group also made use of the patient “carry-card”, resulting from their knowledge that patients look after their records more diligently than hospital clerks. From this experience Ted published articles in the medical journals contributing to the debate of the “patient retained record”, something used extensively in southern Africa today. During the 1990’s PHAL became CHAL (Christian Health Care of Lesotho) a name more true to its mission.
During the 1980’s Ted and Ilse moved to Pretoria and he worked at the department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care of Medunsa. There he was given the time and opportunity to work as part-time secretary of the CMF (Christian Medical Fellowship) in South Africa. Ted and Ilse ministered to many a student during this time and encouraged doctors associated with CMF to serve God through their work in the medical field. He also travelled around southern Africa extensively and connected with Christian health care workers, building valuable networks for the ICMDA (International Christian Medical and Dental Association). His travelling in Africa was facilitated by the fact that he was a Lesotho citizen. Ted and Ilse played a key role in organising and running the annual CMF conferences for at least 15 years. Every conference was different, but each one a blessing to those that attended. The ability of Ted and Ilse to relate to people was central in their message and life.
When Ted retired in 1997 they moved to Margate as their resting place. Right to the end, Ted was concerned that his “fellow travellers” be informed about the truth in Christ. Ted, you have run a good race, we salute you.
Hannes Steinberg
Treasurer
CMF of SA