SUPPORTING CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE, VELLORE, SOUTH … · Vellore (FOV) on Sunday 29 September 2019 at the Holiday Inn, Coventry, CV2 2HP (just off Junction 2 of the M6). This is

VELLORENEWSLETTERISSUE No. 150 · SPRING 2019

REG. CHARITY No. 209168FRIENDS OF

News From CMC - See page 8

SUPPORTING CHRIST IAN MEDICAL COLLEGE , VELLORE , SOUTH INDIA

Palliative Care vehicle (funded by a generousUK donor) to a remote village to seeManiamma who is suffering from terminalcervical cancer. She lives with her daughter-in-law and her three grandchildren agedapproximately 8, 5 and 1. Sadly her son diedfrom electrocution whilst his wife waspregnant with their third child. This family offive live in a concrete government-built housewith one room and a covered passageway. Anephew looks after them and the daughter-in-law’s brother was also there when wevisited.

The patient was lying on a bed in thepassageway when we saw her. Dr Reena andShakila examined her and checked hermedication supplies. They talked to the familyto find out how they are coping. The familywere so appreciative of the care shown tothem by the palliative care team.

I was struck by how cheerful the familywere despite facing death, having very littleand having already experienced significantloss. It challenged me to count my blessingsand be content in every situation rather thangrumbling about comparatively minordifficulties.

he Palliative Home Care Programmeprovides care for the mostvulnerable who are unable to travel

to hospital. A doctor, a nurse and a socialworker travel within a 50 km radius of Velloreto visit patients and their families at this bleaktime. About 120 patients a year are providedwith pain relief and other drugs, and the familyand community are guided in how best tosupport the patient. Most of the patients arevery poor, often the nature of their illnesscauses prejudice, and some are even abused.

There is effectively no income from thisservice so the travel, drugs and staff timemust be paid for. Friends of Vellore UK sendan annual grant to cover the running costs ofthe vehicle, medication, social rehabilitationand supplies such as mattresses and mosquitonets. Social rehabilitation includes non-healthcare related support especially for the family,for example: school books for children, food,small seed grants for income generation. Wesent £2806 this year to cover these costs.

When Ruth was in Vellore this January, sheaccompanied Head of Palliative Care, DrReena George, and nurse Shakila Murali on ahome visit. We travelled about 1 hour in the

Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore is determinedthat its healing ministry should extend to those whoare terminally ill and in need of medical support andcompassionate care at the end of their lives.

T

Dr Reena George and nurse Shakila with Maniamma

Maniamma’s granddaughters

LIFE SUPPORT

I S S U E 1 5 0 • S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 • V E L L O R E N E W S L E T T E R2..........

together, wemake it easier.

THANK YOU for your generous donationsand prayers for the work of Christian MedicalCollege (CMC), Vellore. We are so grateful foreach one of you and thank God for yourpartnership in this work. We would love tosee you at our annual supporters’ meeting onSunday 29 September (more details on theopposite page).

I visited CMC again in January. It’s always avery special time seeing staff reaching out tocare for the poor and needy and thedifference that is making in their lives. It’s awonderful example of faith in action;compassion shown in response to thecompassion we’ve received from God.

This issue starts with the work of thePalliative Care Department. It was a privilegeto accompany Dr Reena George on a homevisit whilst I was in Vellore. We have updateson several of our projects and some patientstories to tell, each demonstrating just howmuch your gifts are blessing the lives ofpeople in Tamil Nadu and beyond. There isnews from CMC more generally and a reportby Julia Todd, a physiotherapist who joinedme on my visit to Vellore.

Enclosed with our newsletter is a copy ofthe December 2018 edition of Pulse, CMC’sannual newsletter. We hope you enjoy readingthe newsletters and are encouraged by thewonderful work going on at CMC.

Ruth TuckwellAdministrator, Friends of Vellore [email protected]

WHERE DID YOURDONATIONS GO ?

2018 Friends of Vellore UK received £100,956 in donations and legacies including gift aid. We received an additional £36,588 income from investments. We sent

£127,370 in grants to CMC and £263 in grants toindividuals from CMC.

Our support costs together with the cost of raisingfunds came to £31,076. The income from investmentsmore than covers this, allowing every penny of yourdonations to go directly to funding charitable projects.

DURING 2018 FRIENDS OF VELLORE HAS• Sent £50,000 to the Person to Person Scheme

helping about 700 patients (see patient storiesopposite and on page 12)

• Given £19,446 in support of projects overseen by theRural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (you can readabout some of these on pages 11 & 12)

• Sent £13,670 in continued support of a five-yearproject enabling three community health workersfrom the Low-Cost Effective Care Unit working inslum areas

• Given £12,394 to CMC's work in the Jawadhi Hills to fund two studentscholarships and ten health workers

• Funded the post of an occupational therapist working in paediatric surgery(£5,161) and sent £3,361 to cover treatment costs for two myelomeningocelepatients (see patient stories on pages 6 & 7)

• Enabled the soundproofing of a room for newborn hearing screening (£1,963)

• Provided financial support for the Palliative Care Department’s home careprogramme (£3,328)

• Funded the new post of Mission Desk Co-ordinator for the first year (£2,910 -read more about Magdalene on pages 4 & 5)

• Sent £5,335 towards CMC's Kerala flood relief efforts

• Sent £4,739 for various Alumni batch funds

• Sent £3,225 in gifts for rehabilitation (£938 of this was for community-basedrehabilitation at the Low-Cost Effective Care Unit)

• Sent £1,200 of supporter directed gifts for the Distance Learning HealthTraining Course

• Sent £640 ofdonor directedgifts for otherprojects

In2018 Income Amount

Restricted Donations £41,506Unrestricted Donations £27,472Gift Aid £9,038Legacies £22,940Investment Income £36,588

Total £137,544

DearFriends of CMC Vellore,

InvestmentIncome, 27%

RestrictedDonations, 30%

Legacies, 17%

GiftAid,7%

UnrestrictedDonations, 20%

INCOME 2018 (£137,544)

2018 GRANTSDistance Education

RehabilitationMission

Palliative CareAlumni Projects

Kerala Flood ReliefPaediatrics

Jawadhi HillsLCECURUHSA

Person to Person

£5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000 £30,000 £35,000 £40,000 £45,000 £50,000£0

V E L L O R E N E W S L E T T E R • S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 • I S S U E 1 5 0 3 .........


ARUN*

elementary school level. She makes platesusing the leaves of a local tree, with largebroad leaves. These plates are especially indemand now that the Tamil Nadugovernment has banned the use of plasticbags and plastic plates. First Selvi soaks theleaves and then arranges them in the shape ofa plate. The leaves are attached to each otherwith the help of small sticks, like toothpicks.These plates are especially used by butchersand fishmongers for packaging. They are alsoused at parties and wedding receptionsinstead of banana leaves, metal or potteryplates. Selvi is able earn £15 a month. Thecouple get 20 kg of free rice, provided by theTamil Nadu government. With their combinedincome they manage to have three simplemeals a day. They have no assets to rely on inan emergency.

One day Arun had a fall at home whiletrying to wear slippers and sustained an injuryto his left hip. He was unable to walk after thefall and noticed gradual swelling of his leftthigh over the next three days. Wisely, thefamily bought him to CMC where he was

admitted for surgery. However, the wound didnot respond well and he needed severalinterventions to heal the wound. Post-operatively he was given intravenousantibiotics. After twenty-two days in hospital,he was well enough to go home, but wasadvised to come to the outpatientdepartment for follow-up.

The cost of his hospital care came to £1158.Arun was not in a position to meet the bill.Instead, the bill was taken care of by thePerson to Person scheme and from theinstitutional fund. This was possible onlythrough the generosity of a UK donor. Arunand Selvi were so grateful for this timely help.

*Names have been changed.

run is 64 years old and has twodaughters aged 35 and 32. Both ofthem are married, with their own

homes and families. Arun and his wife, Selvi*,live at Shenbakkam, Vellore which is 5 kmaway from the hospital. They rent a housewith one hall and a small kitchen for £12 amonth. Their house is built with brick walls, aconcrete roof and a cement floor. It haselectricity, water and sanitation factilities.

Arun has studied up to high school leveland works as a watchman in a garage. He earns£25 per month. Selvi has studied up to

A

Arun at the front door of their home

ANNUAL SUPPORTERS’MEETING:

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER

MESSAGE FROM THECHAIRMAN WARM GREETINGS

We are holding our annual meeting for all supporters of Friends ofVellore (FOV) on Sunday 29 September 2019 at the Holiday Inn,Coventry, CV2 2HP (just off Junction 2 of the M6).

This is on the final day of the CMC Alumni Weekend, enablingAlumni to stay on and others to join us on the day. The purpose ofthe meeting is to update the Friends of Vellore about CMC and FOVas well as providing an opportunity for fellowship with each otherand Alumni. We are delighted that CMC’s Director, Dr J V Peter, willbe joining us this year.

The timetable for the morning is as follows:

• 9:30am Sunday Chapel Service

• 11:00am Tea/Coffee

• 11:30am FOV Annual Meeting

• 1:00pm Indian Lunch (sponsored by FOV but donations welcome)

Those attending on the day are welcome to join us in time for theservice or to arrive in the coffee break in time for the meeting itself.We would love to see many of you there. If you are able to attend,please let Ruth know so we have an idea of numbers. (Contactdetails are on the back cover.)

ith as many as eighty Friends and Alumni,our Annual gathering last October wasone of the best attended yet, thanks to

the enthusiasm of the Alumni Association! Themain speakers were Drs Ravi and Shobha from amission hospital in the heart of Odisha who gave amoving presentation of their work among thevillagers under challenging circumstances.

We were also given an excellent presentation of CMC's work in theJawadhi Hills by Dr Divya Muliyil. It is one of our current projects andit was very helpful in understanding the effort involved in gettingservices to these tribal people.

At the Alumni/FOV weekend this September, we shall be holdingour very first Council meeting. This new body consists of currentand retired trustees and those who are interested in our work.

Please make an effort to come to our Annual Supporters’ Meetingon Sunday 29 September to hear and interact with Dr JV Peter, thepresent Director of CMC, Vellore.

Yours in ChristAjit Butt

W

Selvi making a plate

JAWADHI HILLSUPDATE

2018, the cost of this came to £12,394, and we anticipatehaving a similar annual spend for the next ten years. £12,394comprised £943 for one year's tuition and accommodation

for each of the two students studying nursing and £1051 for a year'ssalary for each health worker.

Young people in this region struggle to apply to college. They havedifficulties filling in forms and finding grants and in addition, theprocess works against them. They only receive post every two weeksand by the time they’ve heard they’ve got a place they’ve missed theacceptance deadline! Another barrier is that some of the parents don’twant their children to enrol in further studies. So, CMC is helping youngpeople to apply for courses and find funds to help with the cost. Sincethis initiative began, 62 students have joined the scheme. Of these, 26have completed the course. 13 students are now working in CMC andfour in the Jawadhi Hills. We are funding Jeva and Radha who are now inthe second year of their nursing training.

The health workers are young people from the Jawadhi Hills who areworking in their local communities to promote health and provide a linkbetween the community and CMC’s Community Health andDevelopment team. They completed their initial training in the autumnlast year and are now working in the villages in the Jawadhi Hills.

CMC has heard that the land they want to purchase for a clinic andresidential accommodation for hospital staff is now available for sale ata cost of 2 Crores (approx. £216,000). CMC is committed to paying forthis. However, they first need to buy additional land to widen theaccess road. So, they are currently making enquiries about this. Pleasepray that it will be possible for them to purchase the additional accessstrip of land.

In March, World Women’s Day was celebrated at Chinnaveerapat andAmattankollai villages in the Jawadhi Hills. This was initiated by theCommunity Health Department. The programme started with a talkentitled ‘Balance for better empowerment’ which was followed by aquiz to assess the community’s awareness of rights, governmentschemes, health issues and health facilities.

Members of the community were asked to prepare various fooditems for sharing and a Rangoli for a competition. 105 tree saplings weredistributed to women for planting, to improve their awareness andparticipation in environmental issues, particularly reforestation. Theenthusiastic response from the community was encouraging, withalmost 150 participants including children attending in each village.

Friends of Vellore are currently funding twostudents from the Jawadhi Hills for the durationof their nursing training and ten health workers.

In

The Missions Department are continuing in their efforts to helprevive three mission hospitals:

CSI HOSPITAL ERODEThe hospital building renovations are nearing completion withinput from CMC to make it suitable for good clinical service.Currently some services are provided through an urban clinic inone of the slum areas of the town.

Please pray for God’s wisdom and direction as plans areunderway to restart the main hospital services in two months’time. Pray for committed staff to be recruited (both medical andnon-medical) and for the school of nursing.

KMF HOSPITAL, KOTAGIRI The hospital has been growing steadily, with improved services andincreasing patient numbers. New staff have joined and graduallythe locals are gaining confidence in using the patient services. Eyesurgeries are being conductedregularly now. There are plansto expand clinical work intothe community.

It is anticipated that thehospital will self-sustain in twoyears’ time. At present, thehospital is in a growing phaseand there are financial needs towards salaries and equipment.Please pray for continued growth and for funding support tosustain the work.

REYNOLDS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, WASHIM,MAHARASHTRA The hospital is in a renovation phase. The outpatient department,pharmacy and two wards have been completed and a newoperation theatre, sewage treatment plant and water facility arebeing constructed. The hospital was rededicated for service inJanuary 2019 and should be functional in two months’ time.

The attached nursing college with 250 students is a valuableasset in raising levels of education in the community and meetinghealth needs both in the hospital and the region. If one girl from apoor background is educated, she can educate her wholehousehold.

Please pray for recruitment of committed staff both for thehospital and the college.

CMC’s Missions Department provides thehub for the 153 smaller mission hospitals inCMC’s network. Partnership with CMCincreases the credibility of these smallermission hospitals and the network enablessharing of resources and expertise.

REVIVINGMISSIONHOSPITALS

Mala, a health worker,with her family

An outpatient appointment at KMF Hospital



Magdalene Grace, CMC’s newly appointed Mission Desk Coordinator



NOT TO BEMINISTERED UNTO,BUT TO MINISTER

Patients and staff from mission hospitals who are referred to CMC fortertiary care can wait several months to see a consultant. It is hard forthem to coordinate their appointments and investigations from afar. Inorder to streamline requests and to attend to the needs of patientsand field workers referred from the mission hospitals, CMC have

appointed a ‘Mission Desk Coordinator’. Friends of Vellore are fundingthe first year of this post. Ruth was able to meet Magdalene, who has

taken on this role, during her visit to Vellore in January.

agdalene trained as a nurse in UttarPradesh, northern India. She ismarried to Isaac and for 17 years

they worked as missionaries in Gujarat:preaching the gospel, giving out tracts andpraying with people. They saw God at work inthe lives of many who were converted andsome who were healed.

As Mission Desk Coordinator, Magdalenereceives a letter from the mission hospitalalerting her to a new patient. She sets upappointments and investigations to take placein the same time frame and arrangesaccommodation and concessions if needed.

Magdalene Grace, CMC’s newly appointedMission Desk Coordinator explains what herrole involves:

The purpose of the Mission Desk at CMC isto support patients coming to CMC frommission hospitals and mission agencies.

This desk was dedicated on 2 July 2018 aspart of the Missions Department in CMC, andI was appointed as the coordinator. To date,

135 patients have been helped with bookingappointments, (including investigations likeultrasound, CT, MRI), treatment, concessionsfor deserving patients, guidance in claiminginsurance, accommodation and orientatingthem to CMC. In emergency situations,patients were given fast-tracked doctorappointments. The patients came fromvarious states of India, Bangladesh and Nepal.60 percent of these were from missionorganisations and the remainder from missionhospitals. On average this desk handles over 10patients per week.

One patient commented: “I would like to take this opportunity to

express my gratefulness to CMC for settingup the Mission Desk. Recently, I came as apatient for numerous investigations andconsultations with two specialties. I wasapprehensive about the time and effort that would have to be expended over thewhole process. The tireless and cheerfulsupport made my entire hospital experiencesmooth and pleasant.”

M

REGINA’SSTORYour-year-old, Regina hails fromAndhra Pradesh where herfather is pastor of a village

church. In November 2018 she developeda fever and was taken to three privatehospitals over 40 days. The familyexhausted all the finances they had,including their house. In December 2018,as her health deteriorated, Regina’sparents brought her to CMC. She wasadmitted to paediatric intensive care.With prolonged illness, her immune statusdeclined and she contracted a fungalinfection. Her father sought help from theMission Desk. The treating physicians,administration and the developmentoffice went out of their way to supportthis child through our intervention. Wealso raised funds from friends towards hertreatment.

By February, Regina was weaned off theventilator and put on BiPAP (a machinethat allows patients to breathe easily andregularly). On discharge, she neededcontinued medical, nursing andmechanical support, hence we arrangedfor another mission hospital to providefurther care. By His grace she is able to sit,walk and write, while on intermittentBiPAP. We look forward to seeing herreturn home in good health. It has beenour joy to see God at work in Regina’s life.

Apart from facilitating those who comefor medical help, I am also able to supportthe Mission Department. I am privilegedto be part of this team that has welcomedme as one among them. All thedepartments are very helpful when Iapproach them. Although this work isdifferent from what I was doing earlier, Isee this responsibility as a God givenopportunity to be a witness for Him.

F



PAEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONALTHERAPY

Friends of Vellore are funding an occupational therapist, specifically to work with two groups ofchildren in the paediatric surgery department: those who have suffered major burns and those who

have myelomeningocele.

in which the backbone and spinal canal do notclose before birth. The condition is a type ofspina bifida. The paediatric surgerydepartment sees around 70 children under 15years old annually with MMC, 20 of whom are

neonates. A newborn with this disorder willundergo surgery to repair the defect and mostchildren will require lifelong treatment forproblems that result from damage to thespinal cord and spinal nerves. These includebladder and bowel continence issues andmuscle and joint problems.

Children and families affected by the birthof a child with MMC are in need of extra carefrom the time of their birth. Bladder andbowel continence issues require regularmonitoring and timely intervention. Attentionin this regard, converts these individuals fromwithdrawn introverts to engagingpersonalities, who can enjoy a normal life.

Dinesh facilitates the achievement ofdevelopment milestones through teachingstimulatory exercises, giving instruction ondaily management and coping strategies andfacilitates the transition to the home andschool environment. Following are two storiesof patients Dinesh has worked with.

inesh joined the Department ofPaediatric Surgery in November2016. We are funding his post for

three years with the expectation that if therole proves to be effective, CMC absorbs thecosts into their budget after this time. Theannual cost of this is around £5000.

The department admit approximately 80children with major burns each year. Thetypical burn patient is a 2-year-old with about24% of his or her body surface affected. He orshe spends an average of 15 days in hospital.These days are drawn out and etched in thememory of these youngsters and theirfamilies for all the wrong reasons.

Dinesh teaches the family exercises andhelps with scar management. He ensures asmooth transition from hospital to the homeand society. Burn care is ongoing andcontinues for at least a year beyond theaccident.

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a birth defect

D

Dinesh with a burns patient and her family

IFFA FATHIMANawar Bahsha and his wife, Sumiya Tabasum, live near to CMC's

Community Health and Development Department (CHAD) which haslooked after their health needs ever since the couple married.

lthough both are educated, NawarBahsha could only find work as alabourer on daily wages and

Sumiya Tabasum remains at home, lookingafter their family needs. It was not until theyhad been married three years that sheconceived and a daughter was born to thecouple, to their delight and relief. Howeverthe little one was born with a swelling in herlower back. As the baby developed itbecame clear that all was not well. By thetime the toddler, named Iffa Fathima, wastwo years old, she still could not sit up

unaided. She could not move her lower limbsand her head continued to grow bigger andbigger. The couple brought their little girl toCHAD, complaining that the child had bothurinary and bowel incontinence.

The doctor realised that Iffa Fathima wasin need of serious medical help, more thanCHAD could give. The family was directed totake the youngster to the Paediatric SurgeryDepartment in the main hospital. Here theparents were told that the little girl wassuffering from myelomeningocele (MMC)with hydrocephalus and would need very

expensive surgery, costing over £1100. NawarBahsha only earned £100 per month andSumiya remained at home. There was no way

Iffa Fathima with her parents in the ward

A



SANDHIYA'S BABYVadivel is a tractor driver living in a village about twenty miles from Vellore. He has completedelementary schooling. He has been married for six years to his wife, Sandhiya, who is twelve yearsyounger than him. She has a degree in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery. They live in a rented

house, with a clean water supply and toilet facilities.

infant had good sensation below her hip. Atthe next checkup it was confirmed that babyhad good bladder and bowel control.Sandhiya's baby has been given the bestpossible chance of living a normal life aspossible. She will need follow-up for the restof her life, but with the world class careavailable in CMC, the little girl will receive thebest follow-up available anywhere in theworld.

The operation to repair the baby's spinecost over £1300. Vadivel earns £100 per month.There was no way a low income family like thiscould find the money to pay this bill. Afterdiscussion it was agreed that somehow thefamily would find £150 towards the cost.Perhaps their relatives would help, orSandhiya might pawn or sell some of thejewels she had been given as dowry whenthey married. The hospital would waive theremaining portion of the bill.

Because Sandhiya's baby had hydro-cephalus, she had poor head control. Whenthe family bring their little one for her

monthly follow-up in the outpatient clinic,Dinesh, the occupational therapist, givestherapy to improve head control anddevelopmental milestones. Now the child isfour months old, Dinesh checks thedevelopmental milestones and musclestrength, assessing whether there are anydeformities in the lower limbs or trunk. Ifthere are any problems, they can be reviewedmonthly and staff can prescribe appropriatetherapy to help the baby achieve the best shecan in life.

hey longed for a baby, but it wasnot until six years of marriage hadpassed that Sandhiya at last became

pregnant. They wanted the best care for theirbaby but there are no medical facilities intheir village, so the couple came to CMC,Vellore for Sandhiya's antenatal care anddelivery. This was fortuitous because a routinescan showed that their unborn baby was likelyto be suffering with myelomeningocele(MMC) in which the spinal cord and nervesdevelop outside of the body and arecontained in a fluid filled sac that is visibleexternally along the spinal cord. And so itproved when the baby was born. The dayafter the couple's precious daughter was born,the paediatric surgeons performed complexsurgery to do their best to repair the damage.

Since the problem had been identified earlyand Vadivel and Sandhiya had sought theskilled medical care available, the baby couldbe treated quickly in order to minimise anydamage. On examining the baby after thedelivery, staff were relieved to find that the

T

Sandhiya and Vadivel with their baby daughter

away, no matter how poor. The hospital setsaside a proportion of patients' fees and otherinstitutional funds to help the needy to paytheir medical bills. There are also well wishersacross India and around the world who givedonations to CMC to help defray the costsof those who cannot afford to pay. Afterdiscussion with the doctors, it was agreedthat somehow the family would find £55 andthe hospital would absorb the rest of thecost.

Iffa underwent surgery. The myelo-meningocele was repaired by the paediatricsurgeons and a ventriculoperitoneal shuntwas inserted by the NeurosurgeryDepartment. Though she had an initialstormy post-operative period, she wenthome completely well. The parents weretaught how to perform clean intermittentcatherisation and rectal washes to take careof her urinary and bowel incontinence. On

follow-up at the outpatient department itwas a pleasure to see that she was bright andcheerful owing to a well healed wound andbeing dry by day and night.

Occupational therapy helps children livingwith spina bifida to maximize theirparticipation and independence in everydayactivities. After discharge from hospital, Iffaand her parents came to the outpatientdepartment for occupational therapy.Dinesh, the occupational therapist, assessedthe child's developmental milestones, musclestrength and range of movements. Herparents were taught how to manage her athome and given a series of exercises toperform aimed at preventing deformity andtightness of limb and improving the child'sdevelopment and mobility.

they could afford such an operation. Wouldtheir precious child have to die?

CMC does not like to turn any patient



uring the year, India’s ‘The week’magazine rated CMC the bestprivate medical college and also the

top private hospital and 2nd best hospital inthe country. Chelsea Clinton published achildren’s book: ‘She persisted around theworld’, featuring thirteen women who changedhistory. One of these is Dr Mary Verghese, the‘wheelchair surgeon’ and founder of CMC’sInstitute of Rehabilitation.

The dedication of the Golden Jubilee floor,Golden Jubilee ward and other expandedfacilities in the Mary Verghese Institute ofRehabilitation took place in January 2019. Asecond floor has been built on top of theexisting building, providing much need spaceto increase the numbers of beds and expandthe therapy facilities. The new floor and otherrenovations were undertaken as part of theGolden Jubilee celebration of theRehabilitation Institute which was opened byDr Mary Verghese in November 1966.

BUILDING NEW CAPACITYCMC is working towards having three mainhospital campuses: Vellore, Kannigapuram andChittoor. The new campuses at Chittoor andKannigapuram will ease pressure on the Vellorehospital. The major challenges in supporting allthree campuses are ensuring adequate watersupplies and meeting the increased workforceneeds.

Numbers of inpatients, outpatients andsurgeries are all increasing at the Chittoorcampus. There are now weekly communityhealth outreach programmes in place coveringnine villages. The labour room was inauguratedin February along with the newly refurbishednursery. This facility is likely to significantlyreduce the clinical load on the town campus,considering that 30% of the patients in thetown campus labour room come fromChittoor. Financially, the hospital is performingwell. The current needs are for more staffhousing and a major radiology suite.

Chittoor’s College of Nursing facility wasdedicated in February. This will train nurses forthe Chittoor campus and will also cover someof the needs for nurse training for the towncampus. The first course is planned to start inJuly 2019.

The buildings on the new site atKannigapuram are really taking shape now.There is a residential area with over 500 housesand 14 apartment blocks with four floors each.When these are complete, playgrounds, acommunity hall and school will be added.

At the other end of the campus are thehospital buildings, comprising several blocks.The trauma centre will be on the ground floorof the inpatient blocks. The builders areinstalling the services and working on theinterior finishes. CMC plans to use solar panels

Dto general power. The main construction is dueto finish by November 2019, after whichdepartments will start to move over to thenew site. Much work is going into transitionplanning and human resource planning.

ADMISSIONSCMC was very thankful to God that they wereable to go ahead with admitting medicalstudents in 2018, following no intake theprevious year with the government’sintroduction of new regulations for theadmissions process. These new regulationsstipulate that medical students should beallocated on their test scores alone and don’tallow colleges to select students based oninterview in addition to test scores. This makesit harder for CMC to select Christian studentsand those who are more likely to serve in ruralmission hospitals after training. CMC are stillawaiting a hearing in the Supreme Courtregarding the future selection process.

Praise God that in 2018 CMC was able to admita good number of students sponsored byChristian mission organisations. Please pray forwisdom for CMC’s legal team and that their caseis heard soon. Pray for the forthcoming 2019selection process. Pray that CMC would be ableto maintain its Christian character and continueto train doctors with a heart for mission.

NEWS FROM CMC2018 was a notable year for CMC. The institution celebrated itscentenary of medical education with many special events.

NEWS FROM CMC



GOODSAMARITANSA young man jumped in front of a passing car, one

evening, on the Chennai Bangalore highway. He grinned,slapped the bonnet of the car playfully and skippedaway, apparently unaware of the risk to which he hadexposed himself. This event occurred in a village close

to CMC's Chittoor campus

Gradually, restless energy, insomnia,grandiosity and distractibility decreased.Abdul established a working relationship withthe other residents in spite of the fact that hedid not speak any south Indian language.

A Bengali speaking CMC alumnus working inKolkata identified the language Abdul wasspeaking as Oriya. As Abdul's mood stabilised,he volunteered important personalinformation. Although he was unable to recallhis address, he explained that his village wassomewhere in the vicinity of Balasore railwaystation. He admitted that his real name wasSahabul and told staff the names of hisimmediate family members. They discoveredthat Balasore is a city in Orissa and his homewas located in a village nearby.

Armed with this information, staff madephone calls to police stations in Orissa. Withina few days the police called back to say theyhad found the family. A phone conversationbetween Sahabul and the family confirmedthat this was indeed so.

Within two weeks, the father and twobrothers arrived at the Udhavum Ullangalhome, having travelled a distance of over 1600km. They revealed aspects of the story whichSahabul was unable to provide. About a yearearlier, he had been sent to Chennai with acousin, to work at a factory. Sahabul had runaway in a state of manic excitement a few

months prior to being rescued in Chittoor.The history of a short-lived marriage and ahot temper were indications that the moodinstability had built up over a period of time.

Sahabul was discharged to the care of hisfamily with medicines and information aboutthe nature of his disorder and the need forcontinued treatment. The closest source ofpsychiatric treatment was traced to a ruralclinic run by a CMC alumnus, about 100 kmfrom home.

Many aspects of this story are noteworthy.It is remarkable that the individuals involvedcame together without knowing each otherpreviously and were unlikely to remain intouch after the rescue and rehabilitation werecompleted. Neither the professionals nor thelay persons involved could have succeededwithout the other. Each sub task involvedindividuals going beyond the call of duty: thephysician scouring the district in search of ajaywalker, the police enabling identification ofthe family, the lay members of UdhavumUllangal succeeding in providing care thatprofessionals failed to do. A Muslim youthwas treated by a Christian institution andcared for by a Hindu charitable organisation.

The enormity of what was achieved cannotbe fully comprehended without appreciatingthe scarcity of goodwill and medical facilitiesfor psychiatrically ill homeless people. God isat work and he writes our story to perfection.May miracles continue to happen. With thanks to Dr Babeesh Chacko and Dr

Anna Tharyan for kindly sharing this story.

he inappropriate playfulness,distractible manner and dishevelledclothing suggested to Dr Babeesh

Chacko, the driver and a CMC employeetrained in physical medicine and rehabilitation,that this man could be psychiatrically unwell.This impression was confirmed by villagerswho reported that he had been sleepingrough in the locality for the past few days andgetting beaten up because of his intrusivebehaviour. Admission and treatment seemedindicated.

In the two days taken to makearrangements for admission to a rehabilitationhome in Thirupathur, the young man wasknocked down and injured by a bus. DrChacko traced him to the Chittoorgovernment hospital after a four-hour searchand offered him the only food and drink hehad that day. The young man was kept safeovernight and administered medicinesrequired to induce sleep and sedation.Physical examination ruled out head injury orbroken bones.

The next morning Dr Chacko managed topersuade the local police to transport theman, who had now identified himself as AbdulKalam, to Thirupathur, 100 km from Chittoor.Abdul was admitted to a rehabilitation homefor psychiatrically ill homeless people run by alocal charity, Udhavum Ullangal. Over thesubsequent five months he received excellentcare and medicines for bipolar affectivedisorder prescribed by CMC psychiatrists whovisit the home regularly.

T

Father and son reunited and on the way home

Sahabul recognises Dr Babeesh after 6 months in the home

Sahabul at Chittoor Government Hospital

The reunion



many did not want to know! There is areluctance for having pap smears which needsto be addressed. LCECU has made progress inpreparing a registry and follow-up system butit has its challenges.

LCECU runs weekly clinics in five slums. Fourof these five clinics are held in local churches.The community health nurse and workers goto the clinics in the morning. They check sugarlevels for patients with diabetes and invitethem to the afternoon clinic. The doctors andsocial worker join them in the afternoon tosee all the patients. The ophthalmologyoutreach unit visits each area once a month.

Having seen the benefit of LCECU’s workamong the urban poor, CMC has absorbed thethree community health worker posts as wellas the outreach driver into their ongoingbudget. LCECU is so grateful to FOV UK forour financial support in kick-starting thisvaluable work.

With the opening of these new budgetposts, the final two years of FOV UK’s supportcan go towards employing additional workers.

LCECU has been able to appoint two newcommunity health workers already and hopeto employ one more. They have been able tostart a new clinic in a 6th slum area, SSKManiyam, reaching yet another needycommunity and they hope to start another.

The addition of new health workers willenable monitoring of infant growth andregular check-ups for pregnant women. Theywill provide health education on topics such assanitation and hygiene. LCECU would like touse the driver’s funding to appoint aphysiotherapist or occupational therapist totreat the large numbers they are seeing withmusculoskeletal problems, and also to trainand supervise the community-basedrehabilitation volunteers.

In memory of Dr Ida Belle Scudder, hernephew, Dr Robert Fish, has set up a $50,000matching gift campaign for the work at LCECU.So, if you make a donation to the work atLCECU this will be matched £ for £ to go twiceas far in funding this work amongst those whoare poor and vulnerable.

riends of Vellore (FOV) UK arecurrently funding a £30,000 projectover five years to strengthen the

outreach services of LCECU. For three years,we have funded three community healthworkers and a driver to work in the slum areasof Vellore town, educating the community toimprove health and prevent illness, acting asthe interface between the community and theunit, and enabling referrals to the hospitalwhere necessary. Typically, those living in slumareas will not seek medical help, thinking it isunavailable or too expensive.

After making home visits and collectingdata from about 10,000 people, thecommunity health workers have mappedevery home in five slum areas of Vellore town!They now use tablets for data recording,making both data capture and transfer mucheasier. People living there have been screenedfor diabetes and hypertension and the womenwere offered pap smears in the base hospital.Many were found to have undetected oruncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, and

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BRIDGING THE GAPCMC’s Low-Cost Effective Care Unit (LCECU), situated slightly away from the main hospital, aims toprovide quality but low-cost care to the poorest inhabitants of Vellore. Patients pay a nominal

amount for registration, and then are only charged for drugs and investigations – even those chargesare according to the individual’s ability to pay.



EMPOWERING ADOLESCENTSTHROUGH EDUCATION,

COUNSELING AND LIFE SKILLSTRAINING

During 2017-18, CMC’s Rural Unit of Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA)implemented a new school program for girls in five schools.

they are facing and lower the suicide rate inthis vulnerable group.

The school-based sessions includephysiological change and reproductivehealth, relationships with peers and family,and life coping skills, including problemsolving, coping strategies, time managementand decision making.

In addition to the school-based programRUHSA is providing counseling services andcareer guidance sessions for young people.One-on-one, need-based counseling foradolescents and family members if needed isavailable at RUHSA with a psychologist,

psychiatrist, social worker or nutritionist. Thecareer guidance sessions will help the young people to select and pursue a career. They will be given help to completeforms and apply for grants.

Friends of Vellore sent a grant of £2801 tocover the costs of this programme in 2019.

early 700 girls aged 14-15 benefitedfrom four sessions which coveredmenstrual and reproductive health,

relationship and career guidance. Followingits success, this program is being expanded toall government schools in the local area andto include boys also. RUHSA is developing atraining module for the teachers so they areequipped to deliver the material themselves.

Adolescence, the period of developmentbetween childhood and adulthood, is achallenging time when major life decisionsare taken. The project aims to educate andempower young people to discuss the issues

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CARING FOR THE ELDERLYThe size of the elderly population in India is fast growing, posing mounting

pressures on national resources and healthcare. This segment of thepopulation also faces multiple medical and psychological problems.

for the community. A caretaker supervises andorganizes the activities.

Each year there is increase in the number ofelders who access free medical servicesprovided by RUHSA. Some are also referred forfurther treatment in the main hospital in CMC,some undergo cataract surgery, and some areprovided with spectacles and hearing aids.The following centre-based activities are

facilitated:• Physical care: nutritious mid-day meals, BMI

assessment along with nutrition education,annual health assessment, follow-up care,physio and occupational therapy.

• Recreational activities: newspaper readingand discussion, television, traditional indoorgames, colouring, cultural activities,educational sessions, World Elderly Daycommemoration, annual picnic, visitors.

• Spiritual care: morning devotion, pastoralcare and counselling.

• Income generation activities: making paperbags. These may become more popular sincethe local government has banned plastic bags.

As a result of attending the centres, eldersfeel loved and accepted by others. They haveguaranteed weekday meals, improvedpsychological well-being and sustained physicalhealth and mobility. The centres haveencouraged positive views on ageing in thecommunities they serve.

However, this current provision has coverageof only six villages. The remaining areas have noprogram for the elderly and their quality of lifeis not as good. So RUHSA propose to promotepositive aging by starting three elderly clubswith recreational activities and geriatric clinicsfor the other areas of KV Kuppam Block. Theywill also run a community sensitization programwith intergenerational activities to encouragelocal youth to care for and value older people.

This is a pilot project which does not includea midday meal and is therefore potentiallyeasier to implement and more cost-effective to run.

Friends of Vellore UK sent £9084 to fund thefour elderly centres and start three additionalelderly clubs in 2019.

the rural, disadvantaged communities,the issues facing the elderly are muchworse. With the break-down of the

family and the migration of the youngergeneration to the towns and cities, elderlyparents are left behind in the villages to fendfor themselves. Too old to work and with littleor no source of income, the elders arestruggling even to satisfy their basic needs;many are suffering from chronic ailments,blindness, hearing loss and malnutrition with noaccess to healthcare.

In response to these issues, CMC’s Rural Unitof Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), initiatedday-care centres for disadvantaged elders in sixdifferent villages in KV Kuppam block providingvarious activities that enhance the quality oflife of the elders. Friends of Vellore UKcontinue to support four of the six elderly carecentres.

The centres run five days a week from 10am –1pm with a cooked lunch provided. Thecooking, washing and cleaning is taken care ofby a local Self-Help Group, so providing work

In

Relationships Session

THEPACHAIKILICENTRE

he centre helps to create a strong foundation for childrento enable better growth and development leading tohealthy adulthood. The goal is to stimulate the children’s

development through play.Two female teachers are employed by the play centre. They

monitor each child’s development, creating a profile and tracking thechild’s progress over time. This enables them to providedevelopmental based interventions.

In addition to learning through play and screening for childdevelopment, the centre raises awareness of the importance ofgrowth monitoring, provides sessions for the mothers on makingnutritious food, holds an annual picnic and provides morning milk andsnacks to the children which are based on nutritional needs. Thisincludes one egg every day and a high protein snack.

The centre is located in the same building as one of our elderlycare centres, allowing interaction during the day between thechildren and the elderly.

Friends of Vellore sent a grant of £4025 to run this project in 2019.

The Pachaikili Children’s Play Centre inSeetharamanpet village is functioning well with 20 children from poor families

aged 3 to 5 years.

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NALINI*63-year-old Nalini is a widow with two

sons aged 40 and 36 respectively. Her sonsare married and have their own homes. Asdaily wage earners, they are not able to

support their mother financially.

alini works six days a week in one of the canteens atthe hospital and manages to earn £20 per month. Shelives at Kosapet, Vellore, 5 km away from the hospital.

The owner of the canteen provides Nalini with a small house andfree food from the canteen. The house has a concrete roof anda cement floor. It consists of one room and has electricity, waterand sanitation facilities.

Nalini is on regular treatment for diabetes and hypertension.She came to the hospital with complaints of abdominal pain,bloating and vomiting. Tests revealed that Nalini had acutecalculous cholecystitis, affecting the gallbladder. She wasadmitted for conservative management and was givenappropriate injections. Her abdominal pain decreasedsignificantly, and she gradually regained the ability to tolerate anormal diet. After six days in the hospital, her sugars were undercontrol and she was discharged and advised to come to thesurgical outpatient department for follow-up.

The cost of this expert care came to £117. The total bill wastaken care of by the Person to Person scheme and frominstitutional funds. This was possible only through the generousdonation of a kind donor. Nalini and her family are so grateful forthis timely help.

*Name has been changed

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in the UK. Many of thetraumatic injuries were dueto road traffic accidents,especially motor bikes.

At the end of the clinic, DrBinu left the room and therewas a bustle of activity as thechairs were pushed away andthe room converted into atherapy room. Patients andtherapists sat at tables andhand rehab equipment wasbrought out. The room was a hive of activitywith patients receiving massage to scars, goingthrough exercises and challenging themselveson some of the strengthening equipment toprepare them for functional use of the hand.One patient I met had come from Bangladeshand another from Sudan! The reputation of thetreatment at CMC was well known and broughtpeople from all across India and other countriestoo. Usually patients stayed for six weeks,attending daily. A family member stayed withthem and they found accommodation close tothe hospital. Then they would return home,often with little chance of further follow-up.This was certainly very different to the UKwhere we would see patients weekly andfollow-up some for as long as two years.

I then attended the pre-op clinic thesurgeons ran which ensured that there was aclear plan for surgery for complex patients beingoperated on the next day. The surgical teamdiscussed the pros and cons of certainapproaches and explained to the patient whatwas planned.

In the afternoon I went to the Paul BrandCentre. There was a lecture room with about 40surgeons, therapists and therapy students there.I presented a short lecture onTherapy in the UK, withemphasis on tendon repairtreatment guidelines. Tendonpost-op rehabilitation ismore conservative in India,probably due to concernabout compliance and thedifferent social situationsthat present as challenges inIndia. However, there seemedto be an interest inconsidering a different

approach. I have since emailed the surgeons andtherapists with the guidelines we use in the UKand have had some interested responses. I feltvery humbled to be able to play a small part inthis iconic Hand Rehabilitation Centre and hopethat my links with the staff there will continue inthe future.

I also enjoyed visiting the generalphysiotherapy unit, headed up by Mr AndrewBabu and the Rehabilitation Institute headed byDr Raji Thomas. At the Rehabilitation Institutethe therapists spent the whole day with theinpatients with spinal and head injuries. Thetherapists made their patients work hard for thetwo months they were an inpatient withexcellent results. I was honoured to be able toattend the inauguration for the new section ofthe building. I was encouraged to hear of plansto build accommodation for therapists workingat the centre who otherwise may have to travelsome distance to come to work or payexpensive rent locally.

I was very humbled and impressed with all thetherapy work done at the CMC and have manyhappy memories of my visit there.

Julia Todd, Hand Physiotherapist

eturning to India had been wonderfulafter my 20-year absence. I had heldthis incredible country close to my

heart since my last visit with a Christian missionorganisation many years before. Now I had theopportunity to return when I accompanied RuthTuckwell (Friends of Vellore Administrator) onher week-long annual visit to Vellore.

Shortly after starting my career as aphysiotherapist specialising in hand conditions, Ihad read the biography of Dr Paul Brand: ‘TenFingers For God’. He had been a pioneeringmissionary surgeon who made a big differenceto the people of India with his problem solvingand innovations in hand surgery, particularly forleprosy. As I read, I was inspired and encouragedby the way he worked so closely with his fellowtherapists, communicating clearly his surgicalfindings and how these would influence post-operative therapy care. I also admired the waythat his love of people and the gospel shapedhis hardworking endeavours. It had always beenan aspiration to visit Vellore, where Dr PaulBrand had been based.

I had the opportunity and privilege to visitmany of the projects that Friends of Vellore UKare involved with. Knowing my particular interestin Paul Brand though, Ruth also arranged for me togo to CMC to meet the surgeons and therapistswho worked in the Paul Brand Hand Unit.

I met Dr Binu Thomas, Professor and Head ofthe Dr Paul Brand Centre for Hand Surgery andLeprosy Reconstructive Surgery (HLRS). Hewelcomed me, introduced me to the people inthe room and asked me to sit at the front besidehim. On one side sat about 7 qualified handtherapists, on the other were about 15 handtherapy students and in front were lines ofpatients and their families. The clinic thenstarted. Patients were brought to the front anda therapist or student presented the patient’scase, reminding us of the surgery they had hadand how therapy was going. A range of patientspresented from a simple carpal tunnel release tobrachial plexus injuries and their tendontransfers. Dr Binu then looked at the patient andrecommended any change to the therapyschedule. This surgeon-therapist collaborationwas certainly something that I really valued inmy own practice and one that Dr Brand wouldhave approved. Sometimes he asked me whatkind of therapy such a patient would receive

R

HAND THERAPYThe silence was strange. I had grown accustomed to the sound of the crickets, car horns and air conditioning.Coming back to UK temperatures of -5°C, I missed the pleasant warmth of the January Indian sun on my face

and flashes of colourful saris.

Julia with Dr Binu Thomas and his hand therapy team

Making the most of the available space for hand therapy!



MARGINS IN LIFEThe following article is taken from a special issue of CMC’s weeklynewsletter, published in July 2018, and written by Rev Dr Arul Dhas,one of CMC’s chaplains. The Chaplaincy Department witness to

the healing ministry of Christ through the provision of pastoral andspiritual care to CMC’s staff and patients.

MARGINS IN LIFE

1. Margins in Budgeting: Most of us have thehabit of budgeting, which is a good lifepractice. While budgeting, we account foreven the last rupee. Therefore, if someonesuddenly asks for some financial help, weare not prepared to meet theiremergencies. Sometimes we tend to arguethat we plan for all possible emergencies(personal). However, when a strangercomes on our way we are caught off-guard.Therefore, we are asked to consider ourlives which might include the unexpectedemergencies in terms of spending and beprepared to leave some margin.

2. Margins in Schedules: In a busy world likeours, most of us are dictated by our diaries.We fill our diaries to the extent that thereis no more time left in our daily schedule.We become restless when there is a gap orsome free time. Again, if there is no spacein our daily schedule, we are useless whenthere is an emergency. When a colleague ora student comes to us for an unscheduledhelp or demand of our time, we arecompletely upset. We become irritated.Should we consider leaving a margin in ourschedules?

3. Margins in Emotions: When we are filledwith some emotions – positive or negative,we seem to be completely filled with thatemotion with no space for anything else.However, there are many situations whichplead for our gracious attention eventhough we are engulfed in our own private

emotions. Often, it is because we are sofilled with our own emotions, that there isno space for to consider the emotions andfeelings of another that suddenly comeour way. Should there be some space for anemotional margin?

4. Margins for Feedback: In a school, marginsare used by the teachers to mark theirfeedback or corrections while evaluatingan answer paper. Sometimes we lead ourlives in such a way there is no room forcorrection. We become closed to anyfeedback either from others or from God,the creator. Maybe a little space in lifecould be left blank as a margin so that ourmaster teacher, Creator God, will have achance to make His comments? During his earthly ministry, Jesus was

invited by Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue toheal his daughter who was at the point ofdeath. He accepted his invitation and was onHis way to Jairus’ house, when a woman, whowas sick, interrupted him and sought Hismercies. Jesus spared some time, gave His fullattention for a while and did whatever wasneeded for her (Mark 5:21-43). The beautifulthing in this whole scenario is that Jesus madetime, in the midst of all other scheduledengagements, to see and help a person inneed.

Question for thought: How do I leave a margin in my life?

uring our childhood, our teacherstaught us to leave a margin as wewere learning to write on white

paper. We used to either draw a line or foldthe paper to leave a left margin. Later, as welearnt to write for publications, we realisedthat right margin, left margin, top margin andbottom margin are expected in everypublication.

While giving instructions, God told thepeople of Israel the following: “When youreap the harvest of your land, you shall not toreap to the very edges of your field, or gatherthe gleanings of your harvest. You shall notstrip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallengrapes of your vineyard; you shall leave themfor the poor and the alien: I am the Lord yourGod.” (Leviticus 19:9-10)

The people of God were asked not to takeand use everything that rightfully belongedto them. God instructed them to leave asignificant amount of their possessions sothat it could benefit the poor and the alien. Inthe story of Ruth, Boaz asked his men toleave gleanings for Ruth to pick up (Ruth 2:16),which in turn became a source of life for her.To take this valuable instruction a littlebroadly, we can understand this to mean ourdaily aspect of life. In today’s world, wenormally fill our diaries to the fullest possiblemanner. We do not leave some gleaningswhich can be used for contingencies. There isno space for emergencies. There is no gap tofill a sudden surprise. There are no margins.

D

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every month / quarter / year (delete as appropriate) up to and including the year . . . . . . . or until furthernotice, Friends of Vellore UK at HSBC, The Peak, 333 Vauxhall Bridge Road, Victoria, London, SW1V 1EJAccount No: 00014559, Sort Code: 40-02-06, the sum of

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Documents

SUPPORTING CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE, VELLORE, SOUTH … · Vellore (FOV) on Sunday 29 September 2019 at the Holiday Inn, Coventry, CV2 2HP (just off Junction 2 of the M6). This is