Life for AllBimonthly Newsletter of the Christian Medical Association of India Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010

D E V O T I O N

Dr Vijay Aruldas General Secretary

The Task of Mission: Redefining The Boundaries

Matthew 10:5-6

In the Gospel according to St Matthew we can see a shift in the concept of mission. In vs 6, the mission of the disciples is limited to Israel only. In Ch 28 vs 19, we see Jesus saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. The two major threats that the community faced were Roman colonialism and Jewish nationalism. Roman colonial power controlled and conditioned the Mat-tean community with the help of formative Judaism. The community developed the following ideas: The concept of Church as an all- inclusive institution against the concept of Synagogue A new subjectivity rooted in Christ Reinterpretation of core symbols Redefined boundaries of mission

We see Jesus encounter with people such as in Ch 15:21-28, where Jesus speaks with the Canaanite woman. Jesus brings an outsider into an ethnically mixed community. He responds positively to her continued recognition of his ability to help her and her persistent request. We can see a restructuring of mission strategy when Jesus answers her even though the disciples urge Jesus to send her away (vs 23b). Jesus reconfigured her space by healing her. The centre of mission is shifted in order to include the margins.

Our task in healing mission is to provide a new religious and social space. We should see our institution as a neighbourhood and therefore others are our neighbours.

Rev Stanley Thomas Chaplain

CMC & H, Ludhiana stanleypriezt@yahoo.com

The history of the ministry of healing in India is one of “leading from the front”. At one time, this leadership found expression in the fact that our institutions provided leading technology and care in places where it was not available, and to

people who could not access it. As the rest of India caught up and overtook our mission hospitals, are we still “leading from the front”?

At the series of meetings and consultations I attended in September and October (board meetings of 5 Christian health care institutions and networks, 3 CMAI national conferences, several consultations and meetings in Christian, secular and interfaith settings), I met people from across the country and heard of their work.

I was encouraged to find that, through all the challenges that we face, our institu-tions, leaders and staff continue to exhibit some key core characteristics:A personal commitment to the ministry of healingA deep concern to find and address the needs of the vulnerableA problem-solving attitude when faced with difficultiesRefusing to be overwhelmed by challengesA commitment to build up others in the ministryConstantly seeking new opportunities from involvementAnchored in a personal relationship with Christ

When these drive us, our work inevitably will and does “lead from the front”. Examples include the decision by SDA Hospitals to take up life style as a thrust area, EHA being invited to be Primary Recipient for a Global Fund grant to address intravenous drug users, The Leprosy Mission’s initiatives to tackle stigma and discrimination, Bangalore Baptist Hospital’s new Radiotherapy Centre, Padhar Hospital’s surgical camps for cleft palate, St Stephen’s Hospital Delhi’s leadership in road accident prevention and patient safety, Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack’s strengthening of government health systems and people’s participation, the many new solar energy efforts that hospitals are taking up. The list is longer. Unfortunately we don’t talk enough about them, and sometimes prefer to highlight the weaknesses rather than the strengths.

This is not to downplay our challenges. There are resource constraints, finding and nurturing younger people into this special calling is increasingly difficult, governance is sometimes an obstacle rather than an enabler, etc.

Nevertheless, we need to constantly develop and strengthen each of the core char-acteristics outlined above in ourselves and our institutions, and ensure that they are expressed through our work. God did not call us to work in comfortable situations, but does guide us as we walk through them!

Wishing you a joyous time during Christmas, and a great and blessed New Year!

From the General Secretary...

Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. — Charlotte Brontë

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 2

From the sections...

Doctors

Dr John ThomasSecretary, Doctors' Section

john.thomas@cmai.org

Orientation of NABL Accreditation for Clinical Laboratories on 19 November at MumbaiCMAI invites clinical laboratory staff, hospital administrators, pathologists, micro-biologists, hawmatologists, HRMs, AHPs, quality managers etc to participate in the 1-day seminar on Orientation of NABL Accreditation for Clinical Labo-ratories to be jointly organised with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. The seminar is scheduled for Friday, 19 November 2010 at Mumbai. For registration details please contact: Email: indira.k@cmai.org, Mobile: 09968313177

CMAI Central India Students Conference at Padhar HospitalThe CMAI Central India Students Conference was held at Padhar Hospital on 28 & 29 Au-gust. This is being planned as an annual event in different institutions of Central India, the focus being on medical and dental students. Students from Nagpur attended the confer-ence, as did some international students, junior as well as other doctors.

Workshop on Emergency Medicine in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu On 4 & 5 September, CMAI conducted a full-fledged workshop on Emergency Medicine in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, in partnership with the Jeyasekaran Medical Trust Hospital. There were 140 participants: Doctors – 41, Nurses – 49, Students – 50. There were separate sessions for nurses and doctors. A 5-member team, led by Dr Suresh David and hav-ing two doctors and two nurses from CMC Vellore, conducted the workshop.

CMAI Stall at the CMC Vellore Students Conference - SHILOHThe CMAI stall was put up at the CMC Vellore Students Confer-ence, Shiloh, from 31 September to 3 October. It was a blessed time of spiritual renewal and a call to respond to God’s call in their lives. CMAI sponsored some students’ travel for this conference. A few books on medical missions / text books / daily devotionals reached the students through the stall.

Upcoming National Conferences:Doctors: National Conference from 18 to 20 November at KottayamIt is going to be a great and meaningful time of fellowship and fun! I urge you to register if you have not done so yet. A visit to the green land of Kerala with a boat ride on the beautiful backwaters is something that none should miss.

Nurses: National Conference from 25 to 27 November at Tiruvalla

Dear friends,

Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus!

I am thankful as I am about to complete one year at CMAI. There are many oppor-tunities to learn and be used by God.

Quite a few events happened. On 28 & 29 August, we had the CMAI Central India Students Conference at Padhar Hospital. It was a good beginning and we plan to continue this every year. On 4 & 5 September, we had a workshop on Emergency Medicine in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu (see report on this page.)

We had the regular CMAI stall this time too at the CMC Vellore Students Conference – Shiloh – from 31 September to 3 October.

I was in Bangalore from 13 to 16 Octo-ber for a workshop on Legal Aspects of HIV & AIDS, a consultation on improving quality of DNB Trainings in Mission Hospi-tals, and also visited member institutions in and around Bangalore.

Please remember the upcoming NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR DOC-TORS.

I encourage the Regional Doctors’ Sectional Secretaries and the Regional Secretaries to urge members and insti-tutions to come for the National Confer-ence. Please also remember to keep any Regional activities AFTER the National Conference dates ie 20 November. I am sure this is going to be a great and mean-ingful time of fellowship and fun – don’t miss out!

As the Christmas season sets in, let’s keep some time apart to visit those who are never loved or seem to have no reason to celebrate; to tell them why we CAN celebrate – all because of Jesus the Messiah who came into this world taking birth in human flesh through a virgin, lived, died and rose again for us so that we may be with Him for eternity.

In Christ, Emergency Medicine Workshops from 11 to 12 December at NagpurThe Doctors Section of CMAI plans to hold a series of workshops all over India in all CMAI regions over the next two years. The next workshop will be on 11 & 12 December at Mure Memorial Hospital, Nagpur. Please send doctors and nurses from your hospitals. The workshop is also open for other doctors and nurses. The section plans the next to be held before February 2011, probably in Bangalore. Contact: Mr Dibesh Charles (09423077891)

Upcoming Workshops:

CMAI News

Announcements *

* Brochures and more details are available at www.cmai.org

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 3

Nurses

From the sections...

Ms Jancy JohnsonSecretary, Nurses League

jancy.johnson@cmai.org

The Bill and Melinda Gates Project

Monitoring Visit to Orissa Dr Geom Abraham from CMAI, New Delhi, visited the first phase district partners NGOs namely BISWA (Sambalpur) and CARD (Ganjam) from 30 August to 2 September and PRAKALPA (Keonjhar), SEBAJAGAT (Kalahandi) from 4 to 8 October 2010. His visit was an eye-opener for the team in terms of capturing the documentation and changes of the project at grassroots level. He also helped in the session during review and capacity building of NGO partners held in CYSD from 11 to 13 October. His visit was encouraging to the entire project team in terms of their activities, learning and chal-

lenges. He also visited the target villages in the block and various stakeholders in capturing the changes and initiatives taken by the project team at different level.

Quarterly Review Meeting of District NGO Partners CMAI Orissa organised a 3-day capacity building and review workshop for 10 of its district NGO partners from 11 to 13 October 2010 in CYSD, Bhubaneswar. All of the 10 district facilitators and block link workers at-tended this programme. The objective of the workshop was to share the monitoring indica-tors, monitoring tools and various reporting formats, as well as building the capacity on documentation and dissemination. There was also review of activities, process and challenges for the period July-September 2010 along with planning for the next quarter. Around 47 participants attended this meet-ing. Dr Geom from CMAI, New Delhi, attended and supported the team in facilitation of this review and planning meeting.

A 4-day workshop was organised from 6-9 September 2010 at Bhubaneswar, Orissa. There were around 23 participants from state partners namely Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajas-than, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and North Karnataka. Dr Vijay Aruldas, General Secretary, CMAI, and Dr Sunita Abraham, Head, CHD, CMAI, inaugu-rated the exhibition of the various communication materials used in different states.

The main objective of the meeting was to review the project activities for the first phase and plan for the second phase of the project. The 2nd phase findings of Participatory Need Assessment were shared during the programme. The major topics covered during the session were: concepts and planning on participatory monitoring and evaluation, discussion on the status of implementation and monitoring of communication strategy and importance of process documentation and its plan.

As a result of the 4-day workshop, participants were able to review and reflect on their achievements and experiences, as well as see according to the milestone of project where each one stood. The highlight of the workshop was the sharing of personal experiences and learning of participants.

Planning Workshop for the State Partners

CMAI News

Dear friends, Greetings from CMAI in the matchless name of our Lord! It is the Lord who makes us do His will as well as His good pleasure in our day-to-day life. In the planning and execution of our programme, we could certainly see His unseen hands guiding us. Praise be to His name!

Our preparations for the National Con-ference are progressing quite smoothly. Wherever I visited, I got overwhelming support and co-operation. I am sure we all are anticipating that great event. Your presence will beautify the occasion like icing on a cake. Hope that by this time you have booked your tickets to come to Kerala. I request all the regional sectional secre-taries to come prepared with their reports. The NL Executive Committee meeting is also planned to be held at the Conference venue on 24 November 2010.

The BNESIB Executive Committee was held at Schieffelin Institute of Health – Research & Leprosy Centre, Karigiri on 27 August 2010. Most of the members attended the meeting.

Delhi was swept clean to welcome the international delegates of the Com-monwealth Games. It was a wonderful fortnight which showcased a lot of efforts and talents. It reminded us of the result of teamwork and hard work, which alone can bring success.

I am very happy indeed to announce that the Skill Enhancement programme, which was under way, has received finish-ing touches. This 3-month programme, as we expect, is bound to provide help and professionalism to a large number of worthy recipients.

As I will not be writing to you before Christmas, I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonder-ful New Year.

Finally, I would like to request all of you to pray and prepare yourselves to attend the National Conference. Let it be a great time of learning and fellowship.

See you all at Tiruvalla!!!

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 4

List of Members who have upgraded their

membership fees

The new CMAI life membership rates, applicable since April 2010, are Rs 2000 for Doctors and Rs 1000 for Members. We request you to upgrade your membership to current rates.We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals who have voluntarily upgraded their membership fees to present rates:

From the sections...

Mr Stephen VictorSecretary

Administrators Sectionstephen.victor@cmai.org

Administrators

OctoberDr Suresh David Ms Shirley DavidSeptemberDr Anandit J MathewDr Mary Samuel Dr John D Iswariah Dr Devaprasath Jeyasekharan Dr Sabu Jeyasekharan Dr Ranjit Jeyasekharan Dr Renu Devaprasath Dr Geetanjali Masih Dr Lalitha F Chikkala Dr C N Fredrick Dr Kantamani R M Thiagaraj Dr David D Tariang Dr T Koshy Dr Grace CherianAugustDr George JayaprakashDr David Bhasker RaoDr Anitha S Rao

JulyDr Joyce Ponnaiya Dr M C MathewJuneDr Sunil M Caleb MayMiss P A Annamma AprilMrs Purabi Das Islam Dr Samuel SolomonDr Satish KuruvillaDr Sheela KuruvillaDr S Purushothama ReddyMrs Punitha SunnyDr Mary Ramasamy

Dr John Webb Passes Away

Former Director of CMC, Vellore, Dr John K G Webb went to be with the Lord on 17 August 2010 in Gloucestershire, UK. He had joined the Department of Paediatrics at CMC in 1953 and headed the department between 1953-1967. He went on to become the Deputy Director of the institution and later Director (1967-1971). He was the main force behind the construction of the children’s wards in Q Block, and in initiating the DCH and MD (Paed) training programmes, in setting up the Departments of Virology and Nutrition Research, in establishing the Ida Scudder Endowment Fund and in getting the Vidyalayam school built. Dr Webb was President of the Indian Paediatric Society and served on a number of ICMR and WHO committees. He was honoured with the FRCP (London) in 1967 and the OBE in 1971. He is survived by his wife and 5 children. Dr Webb’s life was remembered at a Thanksgiving Service held on 24 August 2010 at the CMCH chapel.

Obituary

Dear Members,

Delhi looks a lot better after hosting the Commonwealth Games (CWG). There is celebration everywhere as an outcome of the event. India has had a record haul of medals. I am reminded of the Bible verse that says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” I Cor 9:24 (NIV). May God help us to run the race that is set before us, with sincerity.

The XII National Conference of the Administrators Section was held from 7 to 9 October 2010 at Christ Church, Ridge, Shimla. Though the number of participants was less, we had a wonderful time with the 3 Fs, ie Fellowship, Fun, Food (for thought and taste buds too!)

A workshop on Biomedical Equip-ment Maintenance was held at Hotel Atithi, 77 A & B, Nehru Road, Vile Parle (East), Mumbai on 29 October 2010 from 9:00 am to 5:00pm. This workshop facilitated personnel involved in biomedi-cal equipment maintenance in hospitals to discuss pertinent issues and hear from experts who have been in this field for several years.

CHAI along with CMAI is planning to conduct a 3-day training programme covering several areas of hospital admin-istration from 16 to 18 November 2010 at Secunderabad. Kindly contact me for further details.

Since this issue will be the last one for

the year, I wish you all a meaningful Christ-mas and a blessed New Year 2011.

Let us uphold each other in our prayers.

CMAI News

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 5

From the sections...

Allied Health Professionals

Mr A P BerrySecretary, AHP Section

ap.berry@cmai.org

“For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” – Psalm 117:2

Dear friends in Christ,

It was a time rejoicing meeting you all at our 13th National Conference at Kanyakumari.

I am glad to inform you that the first teleconferencing conducted by IGNOU was telecast through Gyandharshan and online. Future sessions will have more subject-related programmes. Now we are working on study material preparation and exploring possibilities for lateral entry for our alumni.

We could see a gradual increase in our membership but not as expected. I appeal to all the members to launch an effective membership drive with zeal and enthusiasm. We have to build our section and increase its activities in all the areas. Please be a representative of CMAI wherever you are.

We are also reviving the student wing membership. Students have to pay Rs. 50/- each and enroll themselves. They will be enrolled as student wing members. Hereafter, only student wing members will be eligible to get all the benefits from our section – this includes travel subsidy for CMAI events and student scholarships. Verification certificates, registration certification… all will need the aforementioned membership in future. I request all the tutors and senior faculties to help in this matter.

Now the evergreen thought of Christmas is coming again. Everyone will have a lot of plans and preparations. I take this opportunity to greet you all for a merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. May God bless you and your family during this festive season.

With sincere prayers and warm regards,

Yours in His service,

Report on Annual Course, Chaplains SectionThe annual 1-month course on Pastoral Care & Counselling for the Sick and Suffering was held from 1 to 25 October at SIHR-LC, Karigiri.

Twenty-six participants attended: CNI Diocese of Jabalpur - 1, CSI Diocese of Vellore - 9, CSI Diocese of Nandyal - 1, CSI Diocese of Madras - 6, CSI East Kerala Diocese - 1, Anandit Nissi, Nepal - 1, Diocese of Jaffna, Sri Lanka - 1, Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church - 1, Assemblies of God - 1, Baptist - 1, CSI Tirunelveli Diocese - 2 and Karigiri Hospital - 1.

It was a mixed group with both young and experienced participants. It was an encouraging experience for the resource persons. With two participants from the neighbouring countries, for the first time, the Annual Course has become an international course.

Rev Emmanuel Gnana Zion, the section’s Chairperson; Dr Mannam Ebenezer, Director, Karigiri Hospital; Dr Joyce Ponnaiya, former President, CMAI; Mr Augustine Aiyadurai, Treasurer, CMAI; Rev Dr John Bashkar, Vice President, CSI Diocese of Vellore; Rev Clive, Presbyter-in-Charge, St John’s Church, Fort, Vellore, were the guests of honour at the Inauguration. Rev Selvanathan, Regional Sectional Secretary, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry and staff of Karigiri Hospital were also present at the Inauguration.

Dr Joseph George, UTC, Bangalore, Dr Ezekiel Shanthakumar, Bangalore, Mr Immanuel Jacob, TLM Hospital, Vadathorasalur, Tamil Nadu, Mrs Valsa Augustine, Mrs Meena Prashantham, Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore, Rev John Lunn, CMC Vellore and staff of Karigiri Hospital were among the resource persons.

We were privileged to attend / participate in the daily worship services at the Karigiri Hospital Chapel from 1 to 25 October and at the Sunday Services at CSI St John’s Church, Fort, Vellore, Beatie Memorial Church, Chittoor, Mar Thoma Church, Gandhi Nagar, Vellore and CSI Central Church, Vellore. We record our respects and thanks to Rev Clive, Rev Devadas, Rev Sam Lukose and Rev Dr John Bashkar, respectively, for accepting and allowing us to be part of the worship services, and for their hospitality.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the resource persons for their valuable support and to the staff at Karigiri Hospital for their help in organising the Annual Course, especially Dr Mannam Ebenezer, Director, Mr Augustine Aiyadurai, Administrator, Mr Prince, Assistant Administrative Manager, and Rev Devadoss, Chaplain of Karigiri Hospital.

BANGALORE BAPTIST HOSPITALBELLARY ROAD, HEBBAL, BANGALORE – 560 024

VACANCY FOR

REGISTRAR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PAEDIATRICS

QUALIFICATION – POST MD / DNB / DCH

APPLY WITHIN A WEEK TO THE DIRECTOR (CEO) CONTACT: 080-22024700 / 22024390

MAIL: hr@bbh.org.in website: bbh.org.in

Department of Paediatrics of Bangalore Baptist Hospital has standard NICU, PICU facili-ties along with Paediatric Endocrinology and Development Paediatrics set up. We also have an ongoing reputed DNB programme.

CMAI News

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 6

CEO Forum – Andhra PradeshA 1-day meeting for the CEOs of mission hospitals in the Andhra Pradesh region was held at Hyderabad on 11 September 2010. The purpose of the first such meeting was to strengthen regional networking among the CEOs.

The meeting started with devotion lead by Dr Vijay Aruldas, General Secretary, CMAI. A total of 17 delegates attended. Each delegate was asked to present a brief report about the hospital history, current status and the challenges. Ms Mukti Bosco, Director, Healing Fields Foundation, Hyderabad, led a session on health insurance and govern-ment sponsored schemes such as Rajiv Gandhi Arogyashree. The participants were encouraged by the presence and valuable inputs from Dr George Chandy, former Director, CMC Vellore.

Some of the recommendations were: sharing resources, have elective students from overseas, training hospitals staff (AHPs), equipment (overseas, custom clearance), fundrais-ing, common computer software for all hospitals, government health insurance schemes, improving pharmacy management, strengthening eye care in mission hospitals, inform member hospitals about low cost drugs and starting DNB programme in hospitals.

The next meeting of the CEOs is planned for January 2011.

From the sections...

Chaplains

Rev Job JayarajSecretary, Chaplains Section

job.jayaraj@cmai.org

Dear friends,

Greetings to you all in His precious name! Pray for God’s protection to be with you, especially with the children.

The Constitution Revision Committee met to consider both the existing and pro-posed byelaws of the section in August. The suggestions were presented at the Executive Committee and National Con-ference which were held on 26 & 27 to 28

October in Vellore, and then to the CMAI Board and General Body for approval.

The 2010 Annual Course was held at SIHR-LC, Karigiri, Vellore, from 1 to 25 October with 26 participants. Dr Mannam Ebenezer, CEO, Karigiri Hospital, Dr Joyce Ponnaiya, former President, CMAI, Mr Augustine Aiyadurai, Treasurer, CMAI, Rev Dr John Bashkar, Vice President, Vellore Diocese, Rev Clive, Presbyter-in-Charge, St John’s Church, Fort, Vellore, and other dignitaries graced both the Inauguration and the Valedictory. (A brief report can be found in this issue.)

Dr Joseph George, Dr Ezekiel Shan-thakumar, Mr Immanuel Jacob, Rev Robin Lepcha, Chaplain, CMC & Hospital, Vel-lore, Mrs Valsa Augustine, Mrs Meena Prashantham, Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore, and a few from Karigiri Hospital were the resource persons at the Annual Course.

The 8th National Conference was held at the Sneha Deepam Retreat Centre, Vellore-Chennai Highway, and was also attended by all the 2010 Annual Course participants.

Please pray for the 2011 Healing Min-istry preparation on the theme Health & Environment and encourage your con-gregation to support this ministry.

As we enter the Christmas season, let us use it as an opportunity not only to celebrate, but also to rededicate our lives to Him – to serve those in need and to take up several practical steps through which we can express this.

God be with you all, and wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

RATIONAL DRUGS, CLIPBOARD, ADDICTION NEWS AND CARE BEYOND CURE GO ELECTRONIC

Rational Drugs, Clipboard, Addiction News and Care Beyond Cure have been well appreciated publications. In order to reach more people we will be sending them only by email from now on. However, if you would prefer to receive a printed version, please send a donation of Rs 100/- by DD to CMAI, Delhi, towards cost of publication and postage.

To receive these publications by email, please send a request by email with the following information – name, address & pin code, phone number, email id, membership number (if CMAI member). If the envelope in which you received these issues has the “Reader ID”, please send that to us. This may be sent to communication@cmai.org Please do write and let us know your preference. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you have changed your address, and discontinue mailing these publications to you.

To save paper we are also offering Life For All as an e-publication. Write to us with the above mentioned details for your copy.

S n i p p e t

The Administrative Council of the Seventh Day Adventist Hospitals met on 23 & 24 September 2010 at Ruby Nelson Memorial Hospital, Jaland-har, to take stock and plan for the future, after a 3-day workshop called Lifestyle Summit. The keynote address was given by Dr Vijay Aruldas, General Secretary, CMAI, and presentations were made on Quality Ac-creditation – An Opportunity To Excel by Mr Justin Jebakumar and on Energy Management In Hospitals by Mr Stephen Victor.

CMAI News

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 7

Institutional Development Desk

Mr Justin JebakumarCoordinator, IDD

justin.jebakumar@cmai.org

Dear Members,Consultation Meeting for GFATM Round 9 on Malaria Control at AizawlA joint meeting of State Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (SVBDCP) Mizoram, CMAI, Chief Medical Officers, District Malaria Officers of nine districts of Mizoram, Church leaders from Mizoram Presbyterian Church and Baptist Church of Mizoram was held at Conference Hall, Directorate of Health Services, Dinthar, Aizawl, Mizoram from 14 to 15 September 2010.

The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Global Fund project and decide the implementation strategy for both Government and the Church.

Some of the decisions made at the meeting were:

With the Government - Agreement of partnership, coordination at various levels, intimation from the SVBDCP to district, CHC, PHC and Sub-Centers regarding the partnership, inclu-sion of Project team at the PHC, District level, state level regular meetings, and coordinate on the procurement and distribution of test kits and bed-nets at various levels.

With the Church - Formal agreement with the churches, formation of Project Manage-ment Committee for each of the churches including the Church leaders, hospital, social action and other relevant departments, identify village volunteers with coordination with the District Malaria Officers, identify other churches to work in partnership in different districts of Mizoram.

CMAI - Share proposal and budget with the churches, identify timeline for implementa-tion, organise a meeting at Lunglei for south Mizoram in October.

Faith in Action 2010 – Interfaith Conference on HIVAt the Art of Living International Center of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an Interfaith Conference on HIV – Faith in Action 2010 was held from 27 to 28 September 2010. Dr Vijay Aruldas, Dr Sunita Abraham and Dr Ronald Lalthanmawia were among those representing the Christian community. Representatives of Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Jain, Sikh, Bahai and Art of Living presented their response to HIV and AIDS in the country.

There were discussions in different groups according to regions and action plans were made accordingly. Faith leaders made personal commitments not to discriminate against people living with HIV & AIDS. Representatives of the different faiths also made a joint declaration to work together to reduce stigma and discrimination of PLHIVs and to care for and support them.

ESHA Project – Mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS in Hospital1. Project visit: There was discussion on the progress of the project and plan for the next internal Appreciative Inquiry workshop for Ellen Thoburn Cowen Memorial Hospital (ETCM), Kolar, on 29 September 2010. One of the internal facilitators of the project has left the hospital and there was discussion to include one of the participants of the Appreciative Inquiry workshop to help facilitate the activities of mainstreaming within the hospital.

2. Appreciative Inquiry Workshop at Miraj Medical Center, Miraj: A 3-day Apprecia-tive Inquiry workshop was held at Wanless Hospital, Miraj Medical Centre, from 25 to 27 October 2010. Twenty participants including doctors, nurses, lab technicians, counsellors, social workers, attendant and cleaners from the hospital participated in the workshop. The outcome was an action plan for the hospital to mainstream HIV & AIDS in the existing work of the hospital.

Our present engagement with five member hospitals for NABH accreditation is pro-gressing well. Dr Dara Amar, Ms Neetu and I spent time on training and policy review meetings at SDA Medical Centre, Banga-lore, CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences and Madras Medical Mission. Since implementing NABH standards are demanding of staff time and there is short-age of staff to coordinate quality initiatives, the progress in a few hospitals is slow. The NABH team had training programmes and gap analysis in Shillong (Meghalaya) for three more hospitals from 19 to 27

October 2010.CMAI’s effort to bring all CEOs of

member institutions for a CEO Forum of the Andhra Pradesh region went off well. It brought together CEOs of member hospital so they could know about the hospitals and their challenges. It also helped the regional network support and help each other. Dr Vijay Aruldas, Dr George Chandy (former Director, CMC Vellore) and I were the resource persons. CMAI would like to thank Operation Blessing India, especially Dr Rajesh Dasari and his staff, for sponsor-ing and organising the meeting. A detailed report is published in this issue of LFA.

I was invited to participate in the Seventh Day Adventist’s Administrators Council meeting held from 23 to 24 September 2010 at Ruby Nelson Memorial Hospital, Jalandhar. It helped me to meet the medi-cal superintendents and administrators of the Seventh Day Adventist Hospitals and present a session on how quality in health care is important in hospitals. I visited Frances Newton Mission Hospital, Firozpur Cant, and met Dr Richard David, Medical Superintendent, and Mr Pawan Gideon, Administrator of the hospital. Dr David ar-ranged a meeting with the senior staff so we could discuss CMAI activities.

I also participated in the XII National Conference of the Administrators Section held at Shimla.

Kindly uphold in your prayers.

CMAI News

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 8

Published by The General Secretary CMAI HQ. Plot No. 2, A-3, Local Shopping Centre, Janakpuri New Delhi - 110 058. Phone: (011) 2559 9991/2/3 Fax: (011) 2559 8150 E-mail: cmai@cmai.org, cmaidel@vsnl.com Website: www.cmai.org

CMAI Bangalore Office HVS Court, 3rd Floor 21 Cunningham Road Bangalore - 560 052. Phone: (080) 2220 5464, 2220 5837 Fax: (080) 2220 5826 E-mail: cmaiblr@vsnl.com

Editorial Coordinator Ms Jaya Philips

Design and Production Ms Lata Anthony

Printer: Bosco Society for Printing

ChristianMedicalAssociation ofIndia

You have probably heard about cashless facilities to many of the large corpo-

rate hospitals being stopped by the four public sector insurance companies that offer Mediclaim insurance policy. These companies (which had introduced health insurance policies in the country) faced huge losses on account of their payouts to hospitals – even after they increased their insurance premiums. It is calculated that for every Rs 100 they collect as premium, Rs 140 is paid to hospitals resulting in a huge loss of about Rs 2,000 crore p.a.

The public sector insurance compa-nies removed some of the big names in the health care in-dustry and accused them of charging hefty rates for medi-cal procedures. Some of these rates are mind-boggling: a cae-sarian delivery in a corporate hospital would cost around Rs 1,35,000 under an insurance cover while it is about Rs 50-60,000 for un-in-sured patients. Some of these hospitals were paid only Rs 15,000 when the same service was given under the insurance scheme meant for central government staff. The practice of charging expensive

POlICy AdvOCACy GrOuP Of CMAI

“Cashless Treatment” controversy: Exposing corporate greed in the health sector

POlICy uPdATES

medicines at MRP where the profit mar-gins are in the range of 200 to 300% was another reason for high charges.

Health insurance has been India’s grow-ing sector in the last few years. In the earlier part of this decade, only around 2% of the population had health insurance. As of last year, this figure rose to around 14-16% (as per IRDA). Within this figure, nearly half (7-8%) is the BPL population covered under various government subsidised insurance schemes like Arogyashri, RSBY, etc. An even more robust growth is visible in the corporate hos-

pital sector. New hospitals are be-ing established in many Indian cities. They will take away a significant share of tertiary health care service from small or secondary health care provid-ers. The growing in-surance sector and the government policies, which pro-mote health tour-ism, have been helping this.

The present cri-sis has drawn our attention to some

of the potential dangers of the current model of health care. Corporate hospitals’ health tourism clients from developed nations might find health care costs cheap, but it will be

Quo vadis, India’s health care system?The development of the Indian health system bears an uncanny resemblance to the history of health system development in the USA. It will be interesting to learn from the present crisis in health care in the US. Today, US citizens spend the highest among other developed countries on health, but with fewer benefits. Fourteen per cent of their GDP is spent on health – a huge amount, considering the size of their economy. The system’s most obvious problems are cost, inflation and inaccessibility of medical care for large sections of society. The US also performs poorly among high-income coun-tries when comparisons are made of their health statuses, not to mention the stark inequality among different race / class groups. Hegemony of private insurance leaves out 43 million (15%) of their citizens without any coverage and millions more struggle to have desirable treatment even when they are covered by some insurance (a system which President Obama tries hard to correct). Those who are observing the changes happening in the Indian health care sector should not lose sight of these historical lessons from the US.

“Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’ — skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of san-dals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.” Amos 8:4-7 NIV

expensive for most Indians given that the cost of health care is already very high. The National Health Profile drawn out by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence for the annual growth in household spend-ing on health gives a figure of 18.8% and 16.2 % for rural and urban inpatient care respectively for the 1995-2004 period.

Should we not value the health and life of millions of Indians above profit? Most Indians do not depend on insurance and spend out of their pockets for their health care needs. One important policy option that is discussed in this context is the regulation of the health care sector, including the regu-lation of the cost of various procedures.

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Life for All

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Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 9

Jorhat Christian Medical CentreJorhat, Assam

URGENTLY REQUIRES

for a 100-bedded mission hospital in Jorhat, Assam. Dedicated Doctors, even retired, preferred. Accom-modation will be provided.

For further details, contact:-Medical SuperintendentJorhat Christian Medical CentreJail road, Borbheta,Jorhat - 785004Phone No: 0376-2340103,0376-2932379Email: jcmc.care@gmail.com

XII National Conference of the Administrators SectionThe YMCA, Ridge, Shimla, bore a festive look when around 40 people congregated from 7 to 9 October 2010 for the XII National Conference of the Administrators Section. Since no vehicle is allowed anywhere near the heritage site, the delegates braved the steep climb to reach the venue. However, the effort was worth it as the YMCA offered idyllic settings amidst perfect weather conditions for a wonderful conference.

Of course, it was not only relaxation and merriment. Every morning the delegates met for a time of praise and worship followed by a devotional talk. The delegates sat down to widen their knowledge base. There was a strong lineup of distinguished speakers. The topics of the technical presentations along with details of the presenters are listed below.

1. The Role of Governance in Mission Hospitals – Dr Ashok Chacko, Regional Director, EHA

2. Recent Judgments Which Have Impacted Health Care Delivery – Mr Samuel Abraham, Legal Officer, CMC, Vellore

3. Quality in Health Care – Mr Justin Jebakumar, CMAI

4. Innovations in Materials’ Management for Hospitals – Mr Sivakumaran, Vice President, Apollo Hospitals

5. Modern IT Applications for Hospitals – Mr Vennimalai, CEO, Aavanor Systems Pvt Ltd

The General Body of the Administrators Section also met to discuss and take stock of the situation. Under the chairmanship of Mr Samuel Abraham, the members resolved to locate new members for the Administrators Section of CMAI.

The conference ended with a meaningful Holy Communion Service led by Rev Paul of CNI.

1 General Surgeon MS 1

2 Paediatrician MD/DCH 1

3 Pathologist MD/DCP 1

4 Physician MD (Gen Med) 1

5 Anaesthesist Cum Intensivist MD / DA 1

S NO POST QUALIFICATION REQUIRED

CMAI News

Life for All Issue 149 & 150 September - December 2010 Page 10

Project Prayas launchedCMAI launched the project Prayas with the support of HelpAge India in order to provide financial support to older cancer patients from the economically weaker section and 50% belonging to below-the-poverty-line section. Support includes cost of treatment, drugs, doctors’ / surgeons’ fees, in-patient care and nursing to patients going in for high cost treatment.

The project was formally inaugurated on 28 August 2010 and the MoU was signed with the two implementing member institutions viz. Padhar Hospital, MP, and Wanless Hospital Miraj Medical Center, Maharashtra, which have existing cancer facilities. The implementing institutions will identify cancer patients who cannot afford treatment for themselves. Through this 1-year project, they will be able to access treatment for cancer which otherwise they could not afford.

13th National Conference of Allied Health Professionals, Kanyakumari

Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NWCH) has training opportunities for physi-cians and nurses in the paediat-ric discipline through the Stecker Scholarship Program. It has two prerequisites: a) the beneficiary, who will have some teaching responsibil-ity, should be proficient in English; b) the beneficiary should be a doctor/nurse involved in a paediatric discipline. If selected, the candidate will be allowed observership / training at NWCH. They will paid a stipend of about $2500 per month. The training duration is for 2-3 months. The organisers are keen on assisting beneficiaries, especially from developing countries such as those in Africa and South America, though other continents (except USA) will be considered. Log on to http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/international-scholars-program for more details.

Training Opportunity

Allied health professionals from different parts of the country assembled at Kanyakumari for the conference held from 24 to 26 Septem-ber 2010. People from distant areas started coming from the 23rd. Then other delegates started coming as individuals and in groups. There was good representation from differ-ent places.

At the inauguration function, Mrs Indira Alexander, retired Principal of Women’s Christian College, Nagercoil, Mr Suresh Carleton, Chairperson of the section, Dr Vijay Aruldas, General Secretary, CMAI, and Mr Paul David Patrick Brown, Regional Section Secretary of Tamil Nadu, AHP, were on the dais. After the opening prayer and welcome, Dr Vijay Aruldas, General Secretary, CMAI, inaugurated the conference. In his inaugural address, he highlighted the growth and new initiatives of the AHP section. Mrs Indira Al-exander delivered the Keynote Address on the theme, Sharing the Pain, which was well accepted as it was full of her experiences in sharing the pain. Mrs Alexander is a respected personality in Kanyakumari district who has served as English professor and Principal at the Women’s Christian College, and has been a mentor for many young girls.

The Male Voices, the choir from Meignana-puram, conducted by Prof Kutty Jaskar, sang an anthem of praise and several songs immediately after the inauguration. In the evening, we also had some invited cultural events. There was a group dance by Neyyoor School of Nursing, CSI Hospital Neyyoor, which depicted the culture of South India. The girl students from the Christian College of Physiotherapy performed a ‘mime’, which brought out the life of Jesus Christ. It was a novel idea and took a lot of skills. There were also songs to entertain the delegates. This was followed by a fellowship dinner, which gave time for reunion and personal interaction.

In the Inaugural session, the Alan Cranmer Award was given to Mr Satyanand Dani, Lab Technician, Evangelical Hospital, Khariar, Orissa.

The second day started with devotion led by Mr Eben Jeyaraj, Medical Record Officer from JIPMER, Pondicherry, on a biblical understanding of leadership development. We thank him for his voluntary efforts. Later there were scientific sessions in different disciplines, as listed below:

1. Ms V B Reshma - Pelvic floor exercise for urinary incontinence

2. Ms Sheeja Rani - Exercise in diabetic neuropathy

3. Mr I R Asher - Hospital related laws

4. Mr Devakirubakaran - Hospital procedures & coding in Medical Records

5. Mr Rengit Singh - Artifacts in Computer Radiography

6. Mr Abbasali - Evaluation of Head Injury in CT/MRI

7. Mr Thanga Darwin - Multi Detected CT (multisliced) in Angiogram.

Mr Puran Shain presented a poster on postural changes in children.

The Bishop of CSI, Diocese, Kanyakumari, (Deputy Moderator), Rt Rev Devakadasham who graced us with his presence, took a special devotion and warmly felicitated the delegates.

The 2nd day’s cultural programme was led by the participants. In this, sisters from Kerala sang songs and the physiotherapy college boys performed a ‘mime’ about ragging, seniors forcing juniors to use drugs, its effects etc. This gave a good message to the youth and was at the same time entertaining. The great show was a tableau of the beheaded John the Baptist in the set up of the king’s palace. This had everyone spellbound and horrified.

The third day being Sunday, we all gath-ered within the venue for worship led by CSI Church. Some portions and the sermon were translated from Tamil into English for the ben-efit of other delegates from different places.

There was a good valedictory function. Dr Benjamin from CMC Ludhiana and Mrs Helen – Vice Principal, School of Nursing – were the chief guests. They distributed the participation certificates and mementoes to all the delegates.

The conference came to an end after lunch. We are thankful to Dr Jeyasekaran Medical Trust for sending volunteers and the staff for helping us in the logistics. We also thank Dr Jeyasekaran Medical trust and The Cross Institute of Paramedical Science for making financial contributions. We praise God for His enduring love and for our successful conference.

CMAI News