YWAM Visit

Last week, we had a DTS (Discipleship Training School) team from YWAM visit us. 

Below are few snaps from the visit. 

 

The children had a great time with the team

Prayer in Outpatient

A play in progress in the Outpatient Department

We are so thankful for the team under the leadership of Ms. Boboi to have spent time with us. 

We also look forward to similar teams from churches and parachurch organisations to visit us on a regular basis. 

Electricity . . . Round the Clock

Since the last 4 months, we do not have government electricity connection to the campus.

Everything started off sometime in the middle of June, when the transformer that supplies our hospital including the surrounding villages blew up. Historically, the transformer was installed for the use of the hospital, but over time, the local villages also took connections from the same one. In spite of multiple requests for a separate transformer for the hospital, there was no response from the electricity department.

After the transformer blew up, we were into major trouble before we knew it. We already had a transformer donated from one of our sister units. We had applied for getting a separate connection. It was taking time. Meanwhile the replacement of the old electricity board transformer was not of the same quality as that of the previous one. The old one had copper winding. The new one had aluminium winding, which ensured that the quality was much inferior to the old one.

We connected the original load to the new transformer. It was just not able to manage the load. The villagers wanted to have the transformer all for themselves. They insisted that we get a separate transformer. We did not press the matter as we did not want to take any step which will antagonise the local village. Unfortunately, none of the village leaders thought about the need for hospital to have electricity.

We went to the Electricity Board and told of our predicament. It took quite a long time for permission to reach us. Unfortunately, after permission reached us, we were in for more trouble than expected.

The new transformer that we got as a donation blew up. Not once but twice. To cut the story short, we have sent the transformer for a complete overhaul. It would take another 10 days before it is ready.

Since June middle, the hospital is only running on generator except for couple of days when the transformer worked well. Our extra costs for diesel for the generators is almost 200,000 INR per month.

Our maintenance department under Dinesh was totally involved in this matter for the last 4 months. We thank the Lord for this group who toiled day and night to ensure that we would have answers.

Dinesh and co. trying to get the transformer repaired the first time it blew up. 

View from one of the transmission towers. Pic. courtesy. Mr. A Dinesh

In the middle of all these disappointments we’ve a matter of praise. About a month back, a new electricity sub-station has been commissioned in Latehar district. Within a month, another sub-station would start functioning in Daltonganj. This means that we’ve almost 22 hours of electricity a day in the government transmission. Soon, this can go up to a 24 hour electricity supply.

There is a major challenge here too. So far, the electricity transmission lines have been used to only a low voltage. With the arrival of the new substations, the voltage has gone up to normal levels. We hear that quite often there are breakdowns in transmission. Please pray that all this will be rectified by the time the refurbished transformer arrives. Considering the need of round the clock electricity, we also need to plan for one more transformer as a standby.

We request prayers that we would have electricity by the end of this month. Please pray for financial resources too as almost 500,000 INR has been spent so far. And now, there is the cost of refurbishing the transformer as well as purchasing a stand-by transformer. 

The transformer on it's way to Ranchi for an overhaul . . .

UDBT

Today, we had 2 patients, both of whom would have benefitted from Unbanked Direct Blood Transfusion(UDBT). Both were maternity patients.

SktD had been in labour since evening. This was her third pregnancy. The history was very much suggestive that she had ruptured her uterus. The surprising part was that the patient was referred from the same place where ArD was referred. But, then the primary referral unit was not to be blamed. SktD had been referred within about 3 hours of her starting the labour pains. The PHC had identified the problem early and referred. They had reached the district hospital around midnight. The delay happened at the district hospital. It was around 7 am when she reached NJH.

Her haemoglobin was 10 gm%. I was not confident about doing the surgery without at least one pint of blood. The relatives went for blood and got one pint although we had asked for two. Someone had requested me for snaps of a rupture uterus. Dr. Roshine was kind enough to snap few pictures which I will post later.

As we finished operating on SktD, there was a call from Sr. Abha about one more patient in Labour Room, whom she thought had a rupture uterus.

NmnD, again a lady in her third pregnancy had started to contract since early morning. Her’s was a previous Cesarian. The details are quite hazy. Clinically it looked like a rupture uterus. And it was a face presentation.

I took NmnD to the ultrasound to confirm the rupture and to my surprise found that the fetal heart was going on strong.

We had her wheeled into theatre for in a matter of minutes. Her haemoglobin was 9 gm%. The relatives comprised of one young man and half a dozen ladies. I was sure that getting blood late in the evening was totally out of question. We had to take a decision. And that had to be quick. The relatives told us that for them NJH was the last resort and there was no chance ahead to Ranchi.

We decided to operate. My heart sank as the peritoneum was opened. The uterus was almost fully ruptured. The baby was already out in the peritoneal cavity. Dr. Roshine had kindly consented to help with the baby resuscitation. She did a great job. Although it had only a poor Apgar Score, the baby is alive although sick.

We pray that he will make it.

I could not get any snaps of this rupture as we were all quite busy after getting a live baby.

Now, coming back to UDBT, NmnD would have definitely benefited from it. It’s going to be 11 pm now. The family is yet to bring any blood. Things would have been much easy for us if UDBT was legal.

SktD and NmnD continue to be sick in the Acute Care Unit. Do pray for them and also for NmnD’s baby. 

Referral well made

It is quite common to see public healthcare facilities being given regular bashing in the media and our regular conversations. 

However, yesterday, I had a very encouraging experience when one patient was referred to us at the opportune time before she went into a complication. 

Although the indication for referral was a bit different, I was impressed that the person who wrote this referral letter timely identified that the patient needs to be referred. 

The staff at this PHC had diagnosed obstructed labour. However, on examination, we found out that there was third degree cephalopelvic disproportion although it had not into the stage of an obstructed labour. The delivery would have become badly obstructed if the delivery was allowed to progress. 

Please join me in acknowledging and applauding this unknown staff in a remote Primary Health Centre of Palamu district. 

The Acute Care Unit

Over the last couple of months, especially after Dr. Roshinetook over the functioning of the Acute Care Unit, something which has bothering us is the major shortcoming in infrastructure for our very sick patients.

We’ve come a long way over the last 3 years. Acquiring 3 ventilators, 4 multipara-monitors, 6 fowler beds etc has not been an easy affair considering the sort of poor patients who come to us. But, we need to look for more and better facilities for our patients.

Part of our Acute Care. Here two children, both below 3 years of age being manually ventilated. 

As I write this, sitting in Acute Care, I’ve three patients who would have done with better machines for ventilation and monitoring. In addition, we also have a shortage of space. We’ve sort of developed a habit of shifting the least sick patient out as soon as a more sick patient comes in.

Many a time, the former patient would have benefitted for a few more hours of close observation.

Below are our requirements.

	Requirement	Cost
1	900 square feet of space	9,00,000
2	Ventilators (2)	15,00,000
3	Multiparamonitors (4)	3,00,000
4	Syringe pumps (6)	3,00,000
5	Furniture	3,00,000
6	Electricity back-up	1,00,000
7	Other instruments	1,00,000
	TOTAL COSTS	35,00,000

Well, the costs put here are only an estimate. In foreign currency, this would be about 55,000 USD/ 42,000 Euros/60,000 AUD/16,000 KD/36,000 GBP.

Please pass this message around to friends and acquaintances that could help us in this matter. 

If anybody is interested please send me a e-mail to either jeevan@eha-health.org or jeevan53@gmail.com.