Looking forward

It’s going to be 4 years since we have been serving at NJH. When I first saw this place in 2003, I was fascinated by the possibilities in this place. And I’m thankful that the Lord has used us as a family to bring hope and smiles to the lives of quite a lot of people.

Over the last year, we were in the middle of a decision making process about Angel going ahead for a Master’s qualification. We had requested quite a lot of our friends to pray over it. 

We did not want that to happen just for the heck of it. We were quite sure that we are going ahead with it only if it was within the Lord’s will.

Couple of weeks back, we were led to believe that the Lord wanted us to continue here over the next year.

From the world's view, this was the best time for Angel to do her masters. However, we are convinced now that it does not fall into God’s plan for us for the time-being.

Now that we’re sure that we’re staying on, I thought I should jot down my dreams for this place. When there are dreams, there needs to be things put in place if they need to become reality. People . . . infrastructure . . . the major things.

It was couple of hours back that Dr. Roshine, our Medicine Consultant, Mr. Dinesh, our engineer and myself were in the ward looking at temperatures in the different areas. It’s been too cold over the last couple of days. And we had to do some checking to see if patients were comfortable. As we went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we could not stop wondering aloud on how much we need to have a paediatrician at NJH.

Of course, if you ask any mission hospital doctor, the first need anybody will blurt out is the need for more doctors, especially specialists.

As we continue our stint in NJH, we look at the prospect of more co-labourers . . .

It is now 52 years since the founding of the hospital. Most of the buildings are more than 30-40 years old. This means that we need quite a lot of new buildings. Hospital area including new outpatient areas, theatre complexes, intensive care units etc and residential spaces for staff are a crying need.

We have a nursing school which needs to be upgraded to a GNM/BSc nursing training facility. Qualified and committed staff along with more buildings is needed.

Could I request you to pray specifically for us as we continue at NJH? The dreams are quite huge. But, I think they are quite possible. But, more important is that we stay within the Will of the Lord for our lives . . .

To start off, we look forward to few specific things we would like to see in 2014. Permit me to put them down here.

1. Tuberculosis is a major challenge in the region. We want to do more in this area. Having a Tuberculosis Unit in NJH gives us quite a lot of leverage. Kindly pray that we will be able to do more for controlling tuberculosis in the region and the country. There are couple of things we are looking at. The first is research and the second thing is starting off Drug Sensitivity and Culture.

2. Starting a specific facility for non-communicable diseases in a rural set-up like ours is something I look forward in 2014. Kindly pray as Dr. Roshine sets it up at NJH.

3. Dr. Nandamani returns to NJH in January 2015. I would like to complete the Burns Unit by then. Please pray for resources including committed staff.

4. We have seen quite a few patients dying of Carcinoma Cervix in the region. Angel has been quite pressing to start off PAP Smear or VIA for Ca Cervix screening. Please pray as we plan.

5. New residential complexes are a pressing need.

6. Kindly pray as we consolidate the impacts we have made through the Community Health projects.

7. Consultant leaders in the specialities of Surgery, Obstetrics, Orthopaedics and Pediatrics with a belief in the saving grace and healing of Jesus Christ are something we should benefit from.

8. We’ve got a team of young and enthusiastic staff. Kindly pray that they’ll continue to grow in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

9. Complete ground work to start a blood bank.

10. Develop the specialty of Neonatology with emphasis on training. 

We value support and prayers . . . again, more prayers to remain in His Will. 

Wish all of you a blessed 2014 . . .

Praise and Prayer Bulletin, November 2013

1. We thank the Lord for the 24 hours electricity supply we have since the last week. 

2. Almost all of our high risk patients survived and went home well. We thank the Lord that that we've been used to be a blessing in the lives of these patients. We specially thank the Lord for the baby whom we could save after a rupture uterus. However, we're very well also aware that we would do better with specialists in the areas of obstetrics and pediatrics. Please pray. 

3. We thank the Lord for the success we've had with the Finger Millet cultivation and the SRI Method of Rice Cultivation which we did as part of the project on Community Based Adaptation towards Climate Change. Please pray for the efforts we take to promote millet (rather, reintroduce) in the community. 

4. We thank the Lord for the Mr. Ashurosh (Pharmacist) and his wife Mrs. Tabitha (Staff Nurse) who joined us since last week. Please pray that the Lord will bless them and they would be a blessing to the hospital and the community. 

5. Duncan Hospital, Raxual has been kind enough to depute Mr. Shivnath, laboratory technician as we have a shortage of lab technicians. We thank the Lord for the Mr. Shivnath's life as well as pray that the Lord will bless him. 

6. We thank for the Lord for Dr. Titus and his wife, Dr. Grace. Kindly pray for them as they plan for the future, especially post-graduate studies. 

7. We thank the Lord for the smooth construction of the water tank. The contractors plan to complete the construction by the end of this year. 

8. There were 2 of our staff families who were blessed with babies over the last couple of weeks. Mrs. Sudha (staff nurse) was blessed with a baby boy. Mr. Rajeev (laboratory technician) was blessed with a baby girl. We thank the Lord that both the deliveries were uneventful. 

9. Please pray for the financial needs of the hospital. The new transformer and the high tension electricity connection has been a major financial burden for the hospital. In addition, we need to upgrade the Acute Care Unit, put in place a new Hospital Information System, construct the Sarai and at least couple of new residential apartments for our staff. 

10. We look forward for new consultants in the specialties of General Surgery, Obstetrics and Pediatrics to join us. Please pray and pass the message along. 

11. We appear to be heading into a very harsh winter. We already temperatures dipping to as low as 5 degree Celsius. Please pray for the health and protection of the staff.

12. Please pray for couple of our staff who are sick. 

Thoughts on agriculture . . .

I was in my post graduate alma mater, the Christian Medical College, Vellore, the last couple of days. And I had quite a long journey back to NJH.

I happened to go through photographs taken during my time at the Community Health and Development Department. 

The following series of snaps were taken during one of the programs we have for medical students. 

The first snap shows a group of women planting paddy on the fields.

As I finished the shot, I was surprised to see a group of students coming back from school. 

First came the boys . . .

Then the girls . . .

As they vanished from sight, I wondered if their education would be a hurdle for them to work in the fields. 

My grandfather used to work in similar paddy fields. After education and literacy came to our village, there was nobody to work in the fields and they lie vacant. Everybody was busy getting graduation and jobs in the city . . . and abroad . . .

As I was pondering over it, in came dark clouds which looked like foretelling that the future looks bleak . . .