Karanda Mission Hospital Update

Dr. Paul Thistle received his Medical Degree and Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the University of Toronto. He is Honorary Lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto.  

Paul’s clinical and research interests have included prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, AIDS prevention, treatment and care, cervical cancer prevention and family planning. He has mentored hundreds of Zimbabwean and international medical students, residents and graduates in his rural practice.

In 2008, Dr. Thistle received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Windsor, a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International and the inaugural Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. 

Paul is married to Pedrinah. Pedrinah is a Zimbabwean born nurse educator, midwife and an executive member of the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe. The Thistles are Salvation Army soldiers. They have three sons, James, Alexander and Andrew.

Since 1995 Dr. Thistle had been serving at the Salvation Army Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe as Chief Medical Officer. In late 2012 Paul and Pedrinah commenced work as an obstetrician/gynaecologist and midwifery instructor respectively at Karanda Mission Hospital in rural northeastern Zimbabwe, a hospital with 3 doctors, 1,800 deliveries, 4,000 surgeries and 75,000 patients each year in a catchment of 250,000.