Apple blossoms

Apple season in the valley. This year the crop has not been very good. However, the rains are on now, and the last of the apples still festoon the trees.

Harbinger of things to come

http://tinyurl.com/mdg29d 

The MCI and all other health regulatory bodies will soon be scrapped and a new regulatory parent body, the National Council for Human Resources in Health will replace them. Read about it in the URL above.

The MCI has been a hotbed of corruption. Invested with regulatory power, it has abused that power and spawned a generation of “donation doctors”, who have in turn soiled the practice of medicine with avarice. They have bartered and sold  the standards of the profession in the marketplace. This has in turn replaced trust with suspicion in the mind of society. Indeed the MCI has much to answer for.

I hope this new step will be the harbinger of change and it will not shrink from exorcising the current ill humour from our profession.

August newsletter

As summer wanes, we always breathe a sigh of relief. Relief for the knowledge that we have survived another tourist incursion and the muscle weary summer sprint for the year is now over. The hospital stayed busy throughout the summer months. Sister Victoria, our new nursing superintendent, has brought up nursing standards considerably. Philip stayed busy in the operating room and Anna was tireless in the OPD. The addition of Dr. Ritu Lakesar, our gynecologist, has been a huge blessing. We are witness to His faithfulness in healing through many, more stories of amazing recoveries. We are now gearing up for the Jubilee celebrations, of the hospital in 2010, as we celebrate 75 years of service in this valley. You can keep up with this on the hospital website under the “Jubilee celebrations” page.

Highlights for the staff so far have been a raise in salaries for all middle level staff, a “Ward clean up day”, “Independence Day celebrations”, and committees to initiate the Jubilee celebrations.

We continue to sponsor local children for higher education. This year we have sent the following students for training: You can read about them on the website under the “Sponsored Students” page.

· Thotwan Vashum (OT Technician)

· Tulwanti (Nursing training)

· Meena (Nursing training)

· Ashish Giri (Coaching for med school)

We hope to be able to finalize plans for the New OPD soon and to work towards starting that construction in the coming months.

Hold close

The days of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus are shrouded in despair, and death and suffering. All of us face these emotions, and quite of few have felt hemmed in by these ringwraiths of hell. Jesus manifested his glory in the grist of the mill, the centurion presiding over his death himself acknowledging “Surely this was the Son of God”. To manifest his nature in the throes of agony has to be from God. Any other alternative is from our flesh and will not manifest His glory. Press close while being pressed in. Salvation and resurrection come in ways we cannot imagine. Not one of his disciples could fathom or believe it when it happened despite being forewarned by Jesus himself that this would be. How we distance ourselves from Him, even when we stand next to Him. Hold close. The end may be a new beginning.

 

A miracle

Ram (name changed) was brought to our casualty unresponsive, without pulse, blood pressure or respiration, with the history of being electrocuted. His pupils were not reacting. Active resuscitation was begun immediately in casualty. His pulse returned, and he was ventilated over the next two days. Eventually he was weaned off the ventilator. He began to respond gradually and over a period of a month began to respond to command. This is an amazing recovery. We are looking at discharging him now, with the relatives taught to take care of him at home. We have seen some amazing recoveries, and we know this has to be God.

Local natti (Himachal dance)

Great show by the hospital staff, with an almost extempore local natti. 

Independance day celebrations

Independance day flag hoisting was performed in the courtyard of the hospital. Shri Naveen Tanwar, Pradhan, Shri Yograj, Up pradhan and Smt Pushpa ward member presided. A local natti dance performed by the hospital staff was a great hit.

Welcome visitors

It was so wonderful to see Drs. George Ani, Ashish Jaison and Joseph Mathew again. Dr. George is an ENT Surgeon in CMC Ludhiana, and Drs. Joseph Mathew and Ashish are emergency physicians training in Australia. Auld lang syne indeed.