Thiruvalla Medical Mission Hospital

Description

Tiruvalla Medical Mission TMM exists to share the compassion of Jesus Christ with the sick by offering affordable medical services and spiritual counsel leading to wholesome healing and hope

Location At the south western tip of India one finds a small but beautiful State nicknamed by its people Gods own country Official name is Kerala meaning land of coconuts Its area is only 39000sqkm which is occupied by a population of 33000000 persons The literacy rate here is 97 which is above all other States of India Official language is Malayalam English is taught as second language and widely used Most of the educated people have a working knowledge of English It is believed that the message of the Christian Gospel was brought to this part of India by Apostle Thomas and the Church formed here in the first century itself Presently 193 of the population of Kerala is Christian with 44 Protestants Independents Brethren movement began in this State a little over 100 years ago As Indian Brethren and Western Brethren missionaries worked together with great zeal many churches Assemblies schools and other institutions were established all over this State

Medical Ministry About 80 years ago a few Brethren missionaries initiated a medical work in Central Kerala and concentrated in and around the town of Tiruvalla now Thiruvalla Their selfless and sacrificial services especially in the healthcare of the poor and downtrodden were greatly appreciated by the local people One such admirer of this missionary work was Dr Dewan Bahadhur VVerghese the Chief Physician of the King of Travancore Tiruvalla Medical Mission began as a dream in the heart of Dewan Bahadur Dr V Varghese As an ardent Christian he read and studied closely the works of early missionaries The life that most impressed him was that of George Mueller a prayer warrior and a leader of the orphanage movement in England Drawing a page from Muellers life the Dewan dedicated his life resources and skills for the betterment of society The doctors passionate dream had now become a fervent desire

A Visionary in Action Therefore when Dr Verghese retired from the royal service he immediately began to give shape and structure to his vision And by 1935 he established a sixbed hospital on a small wooded hillock near the Tiruvalla railway station Kerala India Along with laying the foundation for the hospital he also laid the principles for service and administration all decisions had to be in accordance with ethical and Christian principles Thus TMM began as a small step of faith for Dewan Bahadur but a giant leap for the people of Central Travancore Soon advancing age weakened Dr Varghese and he began to earnestly pray for someone to take over the responsibility of the hospital The answer to his prayers arrived in the form of Dr and Mrs R S Churchward medical missionaries from New Zealand belonging to the Brethren Assemblies Dr Verghese handed over the hospital with a ten acre land and few old buildings in the heart of Tiruvalla totally free for the medical work of the Brethren as a token of his appreciation of their work With the cooperation of Painummoottil PV George missionaries E H Noel and G L Fountain the Churchwards took the opportunity as a divine commission in 1940 and was registered as a Charitable Trust Dr Churchward as a Trustee and Chief Medical Officer took charge The people of Tiruvalla and central Travancore nicknamed the establishment as Sahibs Hospital Saayippinte Aasupathri in Malayalam

The Growth Overseas missionary doctors Eric Rea Gilmour Davies and Brian Smith served the mission and later eminent Indian doctors carried on this noble service to the society taking it to higher levels meeting contemporary challenges Renowned Urologist Dr C Kunjappan John and eminent Neuro Surgeon Dr K Nambudiripad served as directors for several years taking the hospital to greater heights with modernization processThe medical ministry began to grow rapidly Within a few years a Nursing School was added to the hospital which began graduating highly skilled and dedicated nurses Two branch hospitals within a radius of 40 km from Tiruvalla were opened as outreach ministry By 1980 the last missionary doctor Gilmore Davis left country An effective Governing Board of Indian Brethren took over the rein as the work kept growing Latest addition to the mission is a College of Nursing affiliated to the university that awards BSc Nursing degree to our graduates Thus from the 6 bedded clinic in 1936 Tiruvalla Medical Mission has grown to be three hospitals with 350 beds and two nursing educational institutions giving a four years training to 340 students

TMMs services specially noted and appreciated by the public

1 Patients care specialized nursing care given along with effective treatment

2 Affordable cost for the middleincome patients

3 Free medical treatment for economically weak patients

4 Prayer and spiritual counsel offered to all who desire such

Core Values The core values of TMM include the followingProvide opportunities for spiritual healing and hope along with physical healing This is the foundational strength of TMMTreat every individual as dignified personalities created in the image of GodTMM is a Biblebased ministry of compassion and therefore shuns all types of commercial exploitation No diagnostic test of any kind will be carried out unless it is medically compelling No drug will be prescribed without a medical reason No surgery will be undertaken without a medical reasonNo foetus abortion will be undertaken No Capitation fee is levied from any student for the TMM training coursesEconomically backward patients get almost 75 per cent of their bills waived at the discretion of the management

Our evangelistic effort A Chaplain and his wife work full time in the hospital In addition to this one evangelist sent from his Assembly spends one full week serving in the hospital All patients their bystanders and visitors get an opportunity to hear the gospel spiritual counsel and prayer

Treatment for Snake BiteSince its early days TMM has played a pioneering and crucial role in providing lifesaving treatment to victims of snakebite Over the years while offering treatment and improving and perfecting treatment the hospital had been disseminating the knowledge gained by study through paper presentations at conferences and publications in medical journals The hospital is now well equipped to admit serious cases of snake bite poisoning with the confidence that we can offer almost cent per cent cure provided the patients are brought to the hospital without undue delay Treatment is available 24 hours

A work of Charity Besides offering loving services the hospital spends a considerable amount of money by way of free medical treatment During the last fiscal year free treatment to the tune of Rs5500000 US 114583 was given away to the poor patients staff and their dependants as well as evangelists In spite of heavy financial commitments this is continued listening to Gods word Blessed is he who considereth the poor Ps411 Financial assistance is provided for the nursing students some of whom can illafford the cost of their study

Community Health and Development Programme The vision of TMM has been to serve society not only in the area of healthcare but also in other developmental spheres Therefore in 1970 TMM decided to initiate a Community Health and Development programme By 1980 we decided to adopt Kuttanad a village 5kms away from TMM and organize a community development centre there The level of unemployment is high in this area and poverty is rampant This project aims to provide all round development by giving great importance to their cooperation initiative and self help Realizing the prime need of the community for curative medical work the hospital started a small satellite clinical centre In Agape Bhavan Kaniampara a medical clinic is functioning along with a lab technician Doctors visit regularly and a number of poor people are benefitedAlso regular clinics are being conducted in villages including Chathenkery Chumatra and Abhay Bhavan Also we train home nurses who would visit villages and teach health and hygiene

Health EducationSchool of Nursing In Kerala it was again TMM that took a major stride in health education in the field of Nursing In the beginning Mrs Churchward and Miss F Parkinson who were in charge of the nursing department sought to give instruction to the staff in quality nursing care Later a 4year course in Nursing and Midwifery was launched and its first batch graduated in 1943 In 1947 it was recognized by the Nurses Auxiliary Christian Medical Association of India NACMAI This is the first nursing school in the private sector in KeralaIn 1952 it was further recognized by the Travancore Nurses and Midwives Council In 1955 Madras Nurses and Midwifery Council recognized the TMM School of Nursing Miss Elliot Miss MC Miller and Miss E Pitts contributed much to the leadership of the School In 1965 The Kerala Nurses and Midwifery Council recognized the school It offered General Nursing Miss M Bardsely provided yeomen services to the School of Nursing foryears Today TMM School of Nursing is one of the most prestigious and finest nursing training centres in India with over 1000 graduates already excelling in their skills and services world over including USA Europe Australia and the Gulf countries

College of Nursing Started in 2004 the TMM College of Nursing has already carved a niche among paramedical training in India This four year programme leads to Bachelor of Science in Nursing affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala and recognized by KNMC and INC The college is declared by the National Commission for Minority Education Institutions as a minority educational institution TMM does not take capitation fee from any of the students Excellent faculty modern academic and living facilities a variety of skill development opportunities and a family environment add to the reputation of TMM courses

Spiritual Care Since wholesome care for the body mind and soul is the commitment of TMM Biblebased spiritual counseling is offered free of cost A Chaplain couple and other evangelists are totally available for this service Open air sharing of the Gospel of Christ and personal witnessing in the wards are greatly appreciated by the patients Moreover a number of them approach the chaplain for counseling The staff also have regular Bible study besides occasional retreats and camps We are delighted the heaven is rejoicing in our humble but significant labour of love in this regard We thank God that a large number of students leave the campus after experiencing an inner transformation Only eternity would reveal its full impact

Expansion A new multistorey building with a total floor space of 80000 sq ft in four floors as the first phase is under construction It is expected that in 2010 the new building will be completed and commissioned In the second phase another 4 floors will also be constructed Those whose hearts are touched by God can share with this work as the Lord enables them