The Hospital

Orissa is the poorest region in India. From New Delhi the trip takes more than 30 hours on a bumpy train ride going south. The inhabitants, primarily tribal people, are not only fighting poverty but also tropical diseases such as Malaria and Typhoid fever. In the center of Orissa, you will find the village of Bissamcuttack, which is the home of The Christian Hospital.

The Christian Hospital is the only hospital within a radius of 200 kilometers, and it is located in an area where traveling by foot is the most common way of transportation.

Wealthy patients pay for single rooms, while less affluent patients must share rooms between three and six patients at a time. The service is the same for all patients, but the poor pay less than the rich patients do. This system secures treatment for almost everyone.

The Christian Hospital is located on the outskirts of Bissamcuttack. The town has a population of approximately 10,000 people. The Hospital was founded in 1954 with the capacity to accommodate the local community with three beds. Today, the hospital has grown in size, and it supports the area with 200 beds, medical treatment and education.

Religion is a very substantial part of life in Bissamcuttack. Therefore, it can be hard to find blood donors, even within a patient’s family. The hospital staff members often have to donate their own blood to prevent the blood bank from running out of blood supplies.

Malaria has been the leading cause of death throughout the years. The Christian Hospital has developed a program for the prevention and treatment of Malaria and is now cooperating with the surrounding 52 villages.

Three days a week, the hospital sends out medical social workers and opperate very closely with the local communities to prevent the rise of tribal diseases in the area.

The area is affected by what has been termed the double burden. Besides local diseases in the tribal communities, the hospital has experienced an increase in Western diseases such as diabetes and psychological disorders.

In collaboration with the tribes, the hospital has built a local school in the hills. Here, the hospital offers education for 150 children in an area, where no proper educational provision has been available before. Every year, 16 villages each select two children, to be enrolled at the school.