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• Personal Growth

May 2010

By Sharukh Vazifdar

A checklist of spiritual and religious hospitals in India offering medical treatment, holistic healing and spiritual services at a discounted rate

Today, hospitals are usually funded by the public sector, by health organizations, health insurance companies or charities, including by direct charitable donations. In history, however, hospitals were often founded and funded by religious orders or charitable individuals, leaders and monarchs. Similarly, modern-day hospitals are largely staffed by professional physicians, surgeons, and nurses, whereas in history, this work usually was performed by the founding religious orders or by volunteers. This commercialisation of the system has limited medicine from being a wholesome path back to well-being to just the well-being of the body in a mechanised clockwork kind of manner.

Providing much-needed succour in this overly commercial environment are the hospitals run by spiritual and religious organisations across the country. Whatever their affiliation, most of these institutions prioritise the human being and offer an environment where medical care is combined with spiritual care. Many of them also take an integrated approach to health care, judiciously combining allopathy with alternatives such as yoga and meditation. And very often treatment is offered at a discounted rate.

Here we offer a list of such hospitals. The list is by no means exhaustive but will give you an inkling of the kind of services on offer.

Name: Evangelical Hospital
Address: Khariar, Orissa, www.khariar.org
Affiliation: Church of North India and Global Ministries, US
Treatments available: General surgery, obstetrics, orthopedics, urology, plastic surgery and general medicine, blood bank, paediatrics, ICU. With 150 beds, the hospital treats around 3,500 in-patients and 20,000 out-patients through the year
Cost: Although the hospital charges local rates, no patient is turned away for lack of funds

Name: Sant Yashpal Charitable Hospital
Address: Dattawadi, Nagpur
Affiliation: Akhil Bhartiya Santmat Satsang
Treatments available: Yearly national immunisation programme, eye camps and disease control camps are organised. Operating theatre, dentistry, gynaecology, heart specialists
Cost: Out-patient department medicines are provided free of cost, and other facilities at a discounted cost

Name: Saint Mrijmohan Lal Charitable Hospital
Address: Anangpur, Faridabad
Treatments available: Homeopathic clinic, minor surgical procedures, 24-hour emergency services
Spiritual services: Spiritual satsangs in March/ April and November/ December
Cost: Homeopathy consultation and medication is free, while charges are nominal for other services

Name: Aravind Eye Care System
Address: Coimbatore, Theni, Pondicherry, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Amethi, Kolkata
Affiliation: Aurobindo Ashram
Treatments available: Over 2.4 million out-patient cases and 2,85,000 eye surgeries per year attracting patients from all around the world
Cost: Discounted or free treatment as per individual case

Name: Bhaktivedanta Hospital
Address: Mira Road, Mumbai
Affiliation: ISKCON
Treatments available: ICU, dentistry, gynaecology and obstetrics, ophthalmology, urology, orthopaedics, ENT, general surgery, neurology, ayurveda, homeopathy, palliative care
Spiritual services: Counselling for patient and family, trauma counselling, alcohol and drug abuse treatment

Name: Watumull Global Hospital and Research Centre
Address: Mount Abu
Affiliation: Brahma Kumaris
Treatments available: Out-patient facility, blood bank, gynaecology and obstetrics, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, ENT, general surgery, neurology

Name: Inlaks and Budhrani Hospital
Address: Koregaon Park, Pune
Affiliation: Sadhu Vaswani Mission
Treatments available: Cardiology, orthopaedics, urology, general surgery, ENT, oncology, gynaecology and obstetrics, neurology, dentistry, chest medicine, haemodialysis, radiology
Cost: Free of charge or at concessional rates to deserving patients

Name: Sri Satya Sai Institute for Higher Medical Sciences
Address: Whitefield, Bangalore
Affiliation: Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Treatments available: Cardiology, orthopaedics, urology, oncology, gynaecology and obstetrics, general surgery, ENT, neurology, dentistry, chest medicine, radiology, counselling Spiritual services: All staff at the hospital are volunteers. There is a long queue of volunteers waiting to offer seva at the hospital
Cost: No charge whatsoever to any patient for treatment, lodging, food

Name: Amrita Institute of Medical Science
Address: Cochin, with branches in Mumbai, Trivandrum, Mysore
Affiliation: Mata Amritanandamayi
Treatments available: Cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, neurology, endocrinology, organ transplant, behavioural sciences
Cost: Free or discounted rates based on individual cases

Name: Sankara Nethralaya
Address: Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Tirupati
Affiliation: Sankarmatt
Treatments available: Serving more than 1,000 patients per day, there are more than 100 eye surgeries every day.

Name: Ramakrishna Mission Hospital
Address: Khar, Mumbai
Affiliation: Ramakrishna Mission
Treatments available: Homeopathy, ICU, dermatology, psychiatry, ENT, paediatrics
Cost: Free or discounted rates based on individual cases

Name: Holy Family Hospital
Address: Bandra, Mumbai
Treatments available: Cardiology, neurology, surgery, ophthalmology, paediatrics, pathology, obstetrics, ENT, blood bank
Spiritual services: Pastoral care helps patients come to terms with themselves, those around them and their illnesses. People of all faiths are enabled to cope with the traumas of life and beyond. The hospital permits religious persons of all faiths to visit the sick in the hospital

Name: Holy Spirit Hospital
Address: Andheri, Mumbai
Treatments available: Cardiology, neurology, surgery, ophthalmology, paediatrics, pathology, obstetrics, ENT, blood bank
Spiritual services: Dedicated team for counselling, psychiatric and spiritual support

Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) is currently the world’s largest non-governmental organisation in the health services sector, and is in existence since 1943. CHAI is a membership organisation with its headquarters at Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh; having over 3,200 health institutions as its members that include big, medium and small hospitals, and health centres. CHAI aims to awaken the health care sector to treating the patient and not just the disease, help bring about a positive change in the patient and not just eradicate the negative.

Our next directory will be on alternative schools. If you know of any, write in.