CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, VELLORE, … · comprised of skits, dances, singing, prize giving and motivational speeches. The engaging performances were put on by Mela

VELLORENEWSLETTERISSUE No. 143 · SUMMER 2015

REG. CHARITY No. 209168

C H R I S T I A N M E D I C A L C O L L E G E A N D H O S P I TA L , V E L L O R E , S . I N D I A

FRIENDS OF

PEOPLE WHONEED PEOPLE

FRIENDS OF VELLORE WELCOMES BISHOPSTON KUPPAM LINK - See page 11

It is always good to hear from our donors and supporters and ifyou want to chat about CMC or our Charity please give me a

call! What many of our friends like about our work is that it istargeted at people. FOV has always sought through the

partnership we have with key staff at CMC, to change lives forthe better and we have a good record.

I have been doing this job for over tenyears and it gives me great pleasure tolook back on the achievements that havecome about given your generous support.These range from setting up the PalliativeCare project, helping Dr Vrisha’s surgeryon deformed and disabled kids, the LCECUwork, developments at Rehab through toour initiation at RUHSA of the ElderlySchemes, Farmers’ Clubs and SportsClubs. Of course there is a lot more,together with some happy memories of theexcitement when a new project wasstarted and people glimpsed that theremight be a bit of hope. Early on I wasalways being asked by local people whywe were helping. I suppose there isalways something of the Good Samaritanin us all and most would not think twiceabout reaching out to help a person ingenuine need.

This has been the key to successfulprojects. The message has been to get

through to the people however you can,avoiding the dead-hand of bureaucracywhich afflicts institutions. FOV is genuinelya “person to person” charity and this hasbeen when we have been at our strongest.The actual PTP scheme (more later in thisnewsletter) is a specific way in which youcan help someone who needs medicalhelp but can ill afford it and direct patientsponsorship is the way forward. Thealternative is what we do at RUHSA andLCECU for example where we supportlocal staff in setting up facilities so thatthe much needed help can be accessible.

You will know from this newsletter thatthere remains much poverty, deprivationand exclusion in India. FOV will not changethat sadly, but for individuals we can holdout a hand and help when a bit of love andsupport is needed. We cannot change theworld but thanks to you there arehundreds of people whose life is a littlebetter.

I S S U E 1 4 3 • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 • V E L L O R E N E W S L E T T E R2..........

together, wemake it easier.

FOV’s sponsored Beauticians course atthe Community College has been a greatopportunity for girls from poor familiesto get qualifications which will lead toemployment.

What has Friends of Vellore UK been doing?

Over the last 15 months, Friends of Vellore has:

Sent £40,000 to CMC for PTP helping about 1,000 patients.

Helped set up and fund the staffing of 5 clinics in the Old Town area of Vellore.

Funded 3 Elderly Centres at RUHSA (FOV Sweden support a further 2).

Initiated a Beauty Training Course for girls at the Community College allowing them to get employment.

Supported 6 Farmers’ Clubs at RUHSA for marginal farmers helping them to buy cows and market their milk production.

Helped Alumni Batch projects by providing easy and tax effective donations to CMC.

Funded the Mission Hospital Co-ordinator post at CMC and offered to cover the costs of an interactive Mission Hospital website.

Contributed to Joe & Denny Fleming’s funding at CMC.

Arranged the merger of the Bishopston Kuppam Link charity into FOV.

Appealed (successfully) for the purchase of a new Palliative Care “Home Care Team” vehicle and supported the running costs of the team.

Sent gifts to Rehab including Hugh Skeil’s marathon sponsorship for the para-sports team.

Contributed to the Paul Brand celebration event.

Sent several specific gifts to CMC departments.

Helped Youth Groups at RUHSA and LCECU.

Sent comments for CMC’s Indian Healthcare Initiative response.

And of course much, much more including working with FOVs globally to establish better connection and address joint working.

V E L L O R E N E W S L E T T E R • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 • I S S U E 1 4 3 3 .........


When we appealed in the last newsletter for funds fora new Palliative Care vehicle to support the Home CareTeam, I suppose we were hopeful but expected gifts totake some time. However, we were wrong andunderestimated your kindness and generosity.Donations rolled in and by December I was able to tellDr Reena George at the Palliative Care Department togo ahead with the purchase. In fact by the time Ivisited CMC in January, the vehicle had just arrivedwith a pretty pink ribbon tied to the bonnet. It had nonumber plates but this did not stop us going out for adrive to “commission” it!

It is a wonderful support to the Palliative care teamand it certainly raised morale. The team go out in a30km radius of Vellore supporting the terminally ill andtheir families. The Doctor, Nurse and Social Workerwho make up the team address Palliative Care in avery broad way. Clearly there are clinical issues toaddress but wider concerns are tackled. You willremember my last report about a terminally ill womanwith a disabled daughter. Often the most pressingmatters relate to the future of the family and to ensuretheir security and future after the death of a parent orbreadwinner.

Friends of Vellore is delighted to sponsor the annualrunning costs of this team and the new, reliablevehicle is a big boost. I would like to thank everyonefor their kindness in making this possible. This teamoffers pure compassionate care and it is a delight thatwe can help them.

Over 200 former patients attended the three day festival which was in its 22ndyear. The gathering is a reunion for all the local rehabilitated spinal cord injurypatients who have had their treatment at the Mary Verghese Institute ofRehabilitation at the Physical Medical Rehabilitation (PMR) Department at CMC.Those who meet together had come from a 100km radius around Vellore. Theprogram is organised by the PMR social workers and primarily conducted toreview the physical, socio-vocational and psychological status of the alumniparticipants.

This year the Mela program commenced with registration, medicalassessment, screening and intervention by both medical and allied healthprofessionals. During the second day the participants engaged in an entertainingsports and games program, despite the scorching heat. Activities includedbackwards wheelchair races, lemon and spoon races, shot-put, javelin, pin thetail on a donkey, snakes and ladders and bowls. The event was a real celebrationof ability. The afternoon included a discussion around the importance of'togetherness' and the need to unite and support each other. Ideas weregenerated and solutions to challenges shared, drawing on the group’s collectivewisdom and experience.

After breakfast and prayers, Sunday morning's program included a sessiontitled 'Swimming against the Tide'. Discussion centred around the inevitability ofchange in life, coping strategies and differentways to increase resilience. Health educationthrough a humorous skit and a question andanswer session then took centre stage. After ahearty lunch a pencil drawing and rangoli(drawing with coloured sand on the ground)competition was the focus of attention.

Every evening of the Rehab Mela anentertaining and lively cultural program drew acrowd of onlookers. The cultural programcomprised of skits, dances, singing, prize givingand motivational speeches. The engagingperformances were put on by Mela participants,their families and CMC staff.

One highly valued aspect of the Rehab Mela isthe unique opportunity it provides for formerpatients and their families to gather togetherand share stories of success, generate solutionsto challenges they are facing and to spread theirwisdom and experience within the group. Thegathering is a special time of encouragement inboth informal conversations and formal settings.The Rehab festival is a busy, joyful and engagingcelebration of ability, resilience and together-ness which I found a privilege to be a part ofduring the course of the three days.Eleni Bailey

THANKYOU!

THE PALLIATIVECARE CAR IS

BOUGHT

Dr Reena George and Richard Smith with the new FOV Vehiclewhich had just been delivered.

Eleni sees Rehab’s“Inspirational” MelaParticipating in the annual spinal cord injury Rehabilitation Mela(a Hindi word meaning 'festival' or 'gathering') was one of thehighlights of my three month Master of Social Work placement

at the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, India.



LCECU LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

Dr Sunil Abraham

In my opinion, our Unique Selling Point is thecare of the poor of Vellore. We might bedoing a lot, working hard, spending a lot ofmoney, but unless we are clear about ourmission and our efforts are intentionallydirected towards meeting that - we will bewasting our time and effort. However I wouldlike our mission to be owned by all the staff.So a questionnaire has been prepared inEnglish and Tamil, asking everyone to share-anonymously - what our mission is, how weare doing and what we should be doing tofulfil our goals. We will prepare a missionstatement for LCECU compiling the feedbackfrom all.

The new clinic in RS Nagar is progressingwell. At the last clinic, it was interesting tolisten to the occupational history of some ofthe patients- rag picking , begging….. Someof them are really poor. One lady had whitespots on her upper back. She said they arefrom the bites of fleas on the dogs who sleepwith her on the street. I find it a blessing anda privilege to take care of these poor. Thevolunteer in the area is very helpful and onthe next day she brought about 8 patientswho needed follow up to the base hospital.

Other Family Medicine doctors have alsostarted going to the outreach clinics and thisis really a great venture. We plan to havetraining of Family Medicine residents also inthe community so that they see andunderstand the context of those who cometo LCECU.

The Australians who visited have prepareda new short video about LCECU and I knowthat FOV UK want to have this on theirwebsite.

Of the three staff sponsored by FOV, sadlyTrinity, The Occupational Therapist has left.He was excellent and will be badly missed.However Bala, the Community Nurse, andJacob, the driver/attender remain. TheNursing Superintendent mentioned that ifBala is keen to be in CMC long term, he hasto undergo a 3 month training at the basehospital and then could be absorbed asregular staff for outreach if he is eligible.Bala is keen to continue and he has beendoing well . We can follow this advice but hewill not be available for the outreach workfor the 3 months. FOV has offered furtherbudget for them while matters are resolvedbut we hope both posts will be adopted by

CMC in the longer term. If Bala gets apermanent position, we could look foranother person as we need more people onthe ground. Jacob also is on the look out fora permanent job in CMC.

We are looking at increasing our presencein the community by working with theCollege of Nursing Urban and CommunityHealth nurses. The doctors in LCECU arekeen to go to their clinics and also to work incollaboration with us . This is again a greatstep forward and Dr Sushil will meet theDean of the College of Nursing and discussthis.

Richard Rajamanickam's visit was reallygood. ENT 2 is willing to collaborate withLCECU for screening school children forhearing problems and following them up. Healso came to Shalom and realised that hehad stayed there as a student! Hisexcitement at seeing his old room, prayerroom, etc was a joy to watch.

We are very grateful for the continuedsupport from FOV and the small clinics aregradually building confidence and hope inthe very disadvantaged communities aroundOld Town.

At the last all staff monthly meeting, there was a discussion about the relevance of LCECU andits mission. After 33 years of existence, we needed to re-look at our mission - why does LCECU

exist? What is it that would be missed if LCECU did not exist today?



GEOFF AND JOY LEVINEreflect on their last visit

India is a country of 1.3 billion people, anemerging economic power. However itremains near the bottom of the worlddevelopment league table, lacking infra-structure, with most of its vast populationliving in dire poverty, without housing, safewater, sewerage or adequate food.

In 2004, my husband and I met DaleepMukarji , then the Director of Christian Aid.Discovering that Geoff was a doctor whospecialised in diabetes, Daleep said, ‘I knowwhere you are needed, you must go to theChristian Medical College Hospital inVellore.’ CMC was planning a new venturein diabetes, training doctors from 100mission hospitals. This work was in line withwhat Geoff had been doing in Cambridge forWarwick University. We heard this as call,tested it out with a three week visit andfollowed it with a six month stint in whichGeoff was instrumental in setting up a modeltraining clinic in CHAD. This has led to aprivileged decade of involvement.

Diabetes affects 1 in 4 people in India.Poor care leads to heart disease, strokes andcomplications affecting the eyes, kidneysand feet. This is of huge concern to all butespecially to people who cannot afford topay for medical treatment. In a CMC study ofundergraduate students in Vellore, 50%were found to be pre-diabetic.

Going to India was a leap of faith. Inspired,encouraged and challenged, we found thatinroads into all sorts of communitiesopened. In 2010, along with the staff ofLCECU, we made an educational DVD aboutdiabetes; filming for 3 weeks in the Old Townslum. Our intention was that it be accessiblefor people living in the poorest conditions,something they could understand andidentify with. Today, it is played in otherhospitals in Tamil Nadu.

Close involvement with the people in theOld Town, through making the DVD, forgedstrong bonds: shared meals, discussionsabout social issues, visits to house fellow-ships and worship in the rooftop church.

Whilst only 2% of the population in India is

Christian, those we know are visionary andinspiring.

For years our friend, Jean, had beendisturbed by the plight of the vagiriyarpeople, living in the woods, eating wildberries, birds, dogs, foxes and squirrels, anyanimals that they could shoot. They werewithout homes, water and sanitation. Shewas concerned for children naked, dirty,hungry and without school. Men drankhome-brewed alcohol.

Jean made contact with the community,meeting initially with strong resistance. Withpersistent visits however, relationshipsgrew and she learnt of their need for asettled place. Jean badgered the DistrictCollector, the most senior person in Vellore,who eventually gave the go ahead for 36simple concrete homes and a room for basicteaching so the children could eventuallyaccess local schools. Nine years ago wemet Kavitha, a 22 year old, very sick andlying in the dust. Women stood aroundthreading beads whilst others wafted fliesfrom her eyes and dripped milk into hermouth. Geoff contacted LCECU who quicklyadmitted her. Kavitha died of heart failurethat night but it was through our involvementwith her that the villagers accepted us. Overthe years we have seen the changes thateducation has brought to the wholecommunity, including its first graduate.Today mobile clinics from LCECU goregularly to these marginalised people.

Viji, another friend, from CMC, committedherself to working with Jean, teaching

beading to the women by which they earn150 rupees/day. They make beads fromcoloured paper which is glued and thenvarnished. Viji collects old catalogues,magazines. She is the only person we knowwho welcomes junk mail!

To be female in the Dalit community,places you at the bottom of outcast society.Research suggests 1 in 35 girl children iskilled within the first month of life. Fifteenmillion children, mainly girls, have been soldinto bonded labour. Parents who cannotafford to keep them hope that an employermay be able to offer a better future. 1 in 43of India’s children is exploited in prostitution.Sadly many girls drop out of school by 14and are often married.

High in the mountains is Pravaham, asmall college which houses and educates 35traumatized girls, in their late teens. Mostcome from tribal villages. Due to poverty orabuse within their families they have failedat school. Tamil speakers only, they will,within the year, not only train in basic healthcare, but learn the rudiments of English.Once, having set aside a long day I listenedto each girl’s traumatic history of familysickness, poverty, cruelty and physical abuseoften by alcohol-driven relatives. The staffmember interpreting for me wept. CMC,through CHAD, provides work experience forthese girls. Happily, all last year’s studentshave gained stable work and are now able tosupport their families. Jesus says, ‘I camethat they might have life and have it in all itsfullness.’

In the rural areas, we come across theimaginative work of RUHSA. In recent yearsit is thought 40,000 agricultural workershave committed suicide due to drought andpoor harvests. Today RUHSA works withrural people setting up farmers’ clubs,microfinance initiatives, self-help groupsand the rearing of goats, cows andfacilitating milk production. It also offersskills training for young people, girls as wellas boys. Health education is high on itsagenda.

The past 10 years have seen some of the most testing experiences of our lives, many aspectsharrowing, given the desperation and poverty of so many people in India.



A revealing experience is driving with themobile clinic from CHAD into the JawardiHills where communities are isolated.Distance and roads make it difficult forvillagers to access medical care especially inemergencies such as childbirth. One mustbe prepared for the unexpected. Last year ahome visit took us to a family with cholera.In January we shared in the Pongal new yearfestival with tribal people. To greatexcitement and the beating of loud drums,the village gathered for a communal meal ofhot sweet rice and coconut. Cows weregarlanded and their horns painted in vividcolours.

CHAD’s outreach work, its mobile clinicand self-help groups are widely known butits unsung care reaches many individuals.We visit a 35 year old who has lost his lowerlegs and most of his hands due to acongenital disorder. When very young, heand his twin brother, also with the disease,were put in an orphanage by their parentsbut the orphanage was closed and they wereabandoned to the streets. The brother died.

Years on, this man lives in a concreteroom, an illegal building from which today heis threatened with eviction . To use a toilet,he must travel twice a week to CHAD. In hishumble dwelling, he has provided a home formany street children and, through thesupport of Kings School, these children havebeen educated. Three are now graduates.CMC silently supports people in great need.

Its bias has always been to the poor. Many ofthese are almost invisible; one has to haveeyes wide open to see Vellore’s vast needs.

Hope House tends the needs of some ofVellore’s most damaged children. It is homefor about 20 girls and specialises in caringfor children with challenging disabilities. Itis an impressive forward-thinkingestablishment, at the forefront of childprotection training and a torchbearer forchildren’s rights. Here again hidden supportfrom CMC provides medical treatment andfree surgery, just as it does for the verydamaged children cared for by the Sisters ofMercy from the Order of Mother Teresa.

Finally, but not least, we have beenprivileged over the years to share deepfriendship with the nuns of Auxilium College,a Don Bosco institute. We first met SisterRegina at CMC’s ten year consultation whenshe spoke of her sense of calling to SriLankan refugees. There were six camps atthe time and people were living in direconditions. Sister Regina said she was gate-crashing in the hope of getting medical aidfor the camps. Since that time we havevisited the refugee camps together and alsoVellore’s prison. We are involved with DonBosco fathers who have established analcohol programme in the mountains andrun schools and colleges west of Vellore.Meeting with Regina has led to deepfriendships within her community. Once,while we were at Auxilium, we were

introduced to a nun who was very sick andhad come from a convent in Ghana fortreatment at CMC. Such is the reputationand trust they place in this great hospital.

Right across the city, there is evidence ofCMC’s presence, its influence, its health careand its education programmes, especially interms of community development.Privileged by being enmeshed in Vellorecommunity projects for over 10 years, webegin to piece together the scale of CMC’swork. From the call of Ida Scudder to thededicated health workers of today we arereminded of a living God who calls, not somebut all, each bringing unique skills, insightsand experience. God calls us to be Christ’shealing presence, a voice of authority whichchallenges the world to become more justand to heal its discord. God in Christ remindsus that poverty is not the last word, neitheris violence or the fragmentation of our world.Resurrection is the last word, God’s ‘yes’ tolife.

MUNIYAMMAMuniyamma, a 70yr old lady is a resident of the Rangaswamy Nagar, Vellore. She was born and

brought up there and she fell in love and married a man who belonged to a higher caste. Adaughter and a son were born to the couple. Her husband, Mr. Kanagaraj used to be a rickshaw

puller who died due to his addiction to narcotic drugs. The daughter, when she was 11yrs old dieddue to illness. After the death of her husband, Muniyamma started to work as a rag picker to feed

herself and her kids and used to earn Rs.50/-a day. A few months later Mr. Selvaraj, a friend ofher late husband expressed his interest to marry Muniyamma and thus the two got married.

Selvaraj used to work in a tea shop butlater took up watch repair work on theroadside. Muniyamma continued to be arag picker. Through Selvaraj, Muniyammagave birth to 3 daughters and a son.Selvaraj was a chronic alcoholic who

expired when his second daughter was 12years old. The children grew up and two ofher daughters got married. Her oldestdaughter gave birth to 2 daughters and ason, namely Komathi, Kumari and Devaraj.The father of these kids died in a Road

Traffic Accident. Komathi and Kumari whowere studying in grades 8 & 7 at Rehobothhostel in Viruthampet stopped going toschool after their father’s death. They werehelping Muniyamma and their aunts inhousehold chores. Some months later,



their mom (who was infected by HIV) alsodied. So, Muniyamma and other 2daughters brought up her grandchildren.When the children grew up,Muniyamma’s oldest son started todevelop hatred towards other childrenand he still has been carrying this siblingrivalry till date. Muniyamma’s seconddaughter was a spinster who expired dueto Cancer. The third one was married andhad a small boy. She was severelyaffected by Tuberculosis and she diedleaving behind her husband and her kid.Her husband took the kid and went toHyderabad to earn a living.

That was the last time the familymembers saw them. Muniyamma’s sonleft the house and stays a street awaywith his family, working as a rickshawpuller. At present, Muniyamma lives withher grandchildren in a badly damagedtiled house that is built on a wasteland bya big sewage canal. Her son oftenquarrels with his mother for taking careof her other grandchildren. Twice, he haseven hit his cousins in anger asking themto vacate the house. Not only he but hiswife too quarrels with the whole family.

Muniyamma gets a monthly Widowpension of Rs.1000/-. Her oldestgranddaughter, Komathi works for a sodafactory. She is employed only 3 monthsan year and used to earn Rs. 150 perday. Her husband is a cook who earnsRs. 9000/-, a month and works inTirupattur that is 100 kms away fromVellore. At present, he is the mainbreadwinner of the family. He stays in thesame hotel where he works and comeshome once in a month and stays for aweek.

This couple has 3 boys who are ingrades 3, 2 and kindergarden.Muniyamma’s second granddaughter,Kumari was married to a person whobelongs to a slum right behind LCECU. Heis an alcoholic who used to suspect hercharacter and beat her up and herchildren. She couldn’t tolerate his torturefor long and at last took her daughterswith her to live with Muniyamma 2 yearsago. Her daughters are of ages 6 & 5who study in the same hostel whereKumari and her sister were educated.Kumari works at a hotel as a daily wageearner and earns around Rs.150 per day.Devaraj, her brother too stays with themin the same hut. He works in a parcelservice and earns Rs. 150 per day.

A couple of months ago, when

Muniyamma was walking on the road, aresident of the same area under theinfluence of alcohol was riding his two-wheeler and hit her from behind.Muniyamma fell on the ground injuringher hip and thighs. The family thoughtthat she’d become well once she wasunder proper rest. Muniyammadeveloped problems in walking andgetting up from the floor. 3 days later, theOutreach Team came to know about herwhen she attended the new Outreachclinic in Rangasamy Nagar. It wasobvious that she had a fracture and soshe was referred to the OrthopedicsDepartment. To stress the importance oftaking her for medical care soon and toassess their home situation, the teamalso visited the home that day.

The very same day she was taken tothe main hospital and was seen by theOrthopaedics Department. She wasdiagnosed to have a right sided centralacetabular [hip bone] fracture. It wasdecided to treat her conservatively andshe was advised complete rest for 6weeks, pain medication and calciumtablets. After this she was asked to startambulation with a walker.

Regular follow-up visits were made bythe team to ensure that she was onregular medication. A young boy of thesame area who has been using a pair ofaxilla crutches saw Muniyamma’scondition and donated the crutches toher. It was found that those crutcheswere not of her appropriate heightbecause of which it was not of muchhelp in her mobility. Muniyamma startedto drag herself in sitting position to moveabout and her granddaughters use todispose her urine and stools. After theperiod of prescribed rest, the teamadvised her to use a reciprocal walkerthat would help her in mobility. A newwalker at CMC costs Rs. 1500/. TheOutreach team promised them help inbuying one if they were willing tocontribute some amount from their side.The family happily contributed Rs.500/-for the same and the rest was written offfrom LCECU’s patient support fund.

Now, Muniyamma has a reciprocalwalker at home that she uses to walk inand around her house. She isindependent in toileting with the help ofthe walker and feels very comfortableand confident to walk without anyone’ssupport. She is under regular follow-upof the Outreach team.

Muniyamma’s House.

Muniyamma out on the street.

Mr. Bala: Outreach Nurse, training Muniyammain walking.



VELLORE : A GREAT PLAFOV receives many requests for volunteer placements and wewill always try to help find an appropriate placing whethermedical or non-medical. Jennifer approached us and, afterdiscussion, she agreed to work at an orphanage at Kasamnear Katpadi. It seems to have worked well for her and shehas come back to UK after a great and stimulatingexperience.

She describes the set up at Kasam.“On January 7th of this year I landed in Chennai airport for the

first time, in fact, this was my first time ever in India. Exhausted, Iwas promptly greeted by the driver from MBKG Pannai, navigatedthrough the masses of people, and expertly driven to my newhome for the next three months.

MBKG stands for Mudhiyor Balar Kudumba Grama Pannai whichdirectly translates to mean Elderly Children Family Village Farm.

Not only does it provide a home for orphaned children, it alsoprovides them with a family. There are eight cottages on thecampus which home one ‘mother’, two ‘grandparents’ andbetween 5-10 children. This gives the children a sense of normalfamily life in India, and also, gives single women and the elderly ahome which may have been difficult to find elsewhere.

MBKG is a family in all senses of the word. Everyone associatedcares for one another no matter how old or young, and theirChristian faith further unites them. They all work immensely hard,which ultimately allows the establishment to prosper. Each personI have met is truly thankful for being part of this family and themass of happy faces day after day supports this. I cannot mentioncare without discussing the care given to any visitors to MBKG.Employees of the campus including those who work in the office,security, drivers, bakers, tailors, gardeners, workmen and teachers

ELECTIVE : AN OPPORTUNITY TO BFOV UK receives regular contact from youngmedics seeking to undertake an elective for afew weeks in India. It is a great idea andoffers an experience that for many hasframed their whole outlook on life andfuture. However deciding where to go, whento go and what to do alongside all theessentials like travel can be very daunting. Itis very important that potential electives havea good idea of what they want to achieve andalso a real understanding of the conditionsthey may face. Everyone wants a truly greatexperience and the more planning andresearch that goes into it , the more likely it isthat your goals will be achieved.

For a start it is worth spending a fewpounds on the Electives Handbook publishedby CMF. (Have a look at www.CMF.org). Thebook gives information and advice but alsohelps you through the process and ensuresyou are clear regarding the criteria for yourvisit. Many increasingly want to see “real”healthcare challenges. This is laudable but themore “real” the experience the more likelyyou are to have to confront challengingaccommodation, climatic problems, a localdiet and possibly limited social opportunities.Many opt for a remote location but are thendisappointed that it is difficult to travel morewidely. The message is – ask all the questions

and be wholly content before you sign up.Christian Medical College and Hospital,

Vellore, welcomes foreign students from themedical, nursing and allied health sciencestreams who would like to visit theinstitution.

The clinical posting will be organised bythe respective departments. The posting willconsist of outpatient clinics, ward rounds,bedside clinical teaching, academic sessions,lectures, and operation theatre. You may bepermitted to work with patients under thesupervision of the treating physician andpermission of the patient but you will not beallowed to prescribe or perform procedures



ACE FOR A VOLUNTEERas well as the grandparents, mothers and children have beenexceptionally friendly and attentive to any needs we may have.

The children here are given the opportunity to thrive in theirpersonal and academic lives. They attend King’s MatriculationSchool which is a short walk down the road. Most of the schoolfacilities, including some of the main buildings, have beenprovided through donations. The children are privileged inreceiving an education in English at a non-governmental school,giving them a great start in life. I was grateful for the opportunityto teach the children, helping to improve their English skills. Thisexperience really highlighted the hard work and dedication of theteachers involved in the education of the orphanage children aswell as the many local children who also attend the school.

The individual sponsorship which the children rely upon allowsthem to have wonderful opportunities and I have found that both

the sponsors and the children benefit greatly from thisrelationship. There is involvement between sponsors and childrenwith a regular exchange of letters. In my first month at MBKG, Imet a couple from England who introduced me to the boy theysponsor who was now midway through his second degree,something which would have been impossible without their help.

Being present for the annual Alumni Day for MBKG enabled meto meet many ex-students, all of whom had gone on to live highlysuccessful lives. Each person I spoke to claimed MBKG wasresponsible for their accomplishments. MBKG is a true saviour forthe lives of so many. Pauline King, the initial founder was aremarkable woman, and I believe she would be more thansatisfied with the work done by those who have continued herlegacy.”

> http://www.mbkgpkasam.org/

BE GRASPED!on patients. The elective programme isplanned in a flexible way to ensure that youexperience the range of clinical medicine thatis itself practiced in India. CMC recommendsyou to choose your postings carefully at theapplication phase itself in order to ensure agood learning experience.

(Further information is available fromCMC’s website – www./cmch-vellore.edu.Follow the link for Education/Admissions/Activities and then the Student Electiveslink.)

Some electives are interested in finding outabout Mission Hospitals and elective placesare available in many but they need to be

chosen carefully. The Emmanuel HospitalAssociation (EHA) manages some 24 MissionHospitals including a few that have beenfeatured in earlier FOV UK Newsletters likeDuncan and Prem Jyoti. (The EHA websitewww.eha-health.org has the application formif you use the Resources link and then theDownload where you can find the form).

Some individual Mission Hospitals willalso agree to elective placements and we arealways pleased to advise on the options.

It is a huge opportunity but do consider it.Professionally it will always be worthwhile,as a life experience it will be fantastic and youwill come back with a changed perception onmany things.

But – and there is always a but – do yourplanning and make sure you get theexperience that you want!

Plan well and travel safely!



There remain difficulties with the land-ownership which is not yet completed andmay cause a rethink in terms of the designand layout. The architects put forwardproposals last Autumn which were inexcess of what had been agreed by Councilboth in respect of size and cost. Afterreview, the architects were asked to scaledown the proposal to fit the approvedbudget of 1.2 million square feet and a costof 250 Crore INR. Taken with the landownership issue, this re-design has takentime and a third party oversight has

also been requested.The financial constraints set a certain

size limit and this will need the review ofthe priority objectives. The over-riding needis to achieve more space and take pressureoff Vellore. However other objectivesincluding the provision of Accident andEmergency services associated with thehighway are also present.

The means of funding has yet to be setout but the emphasis seems to be oncorporate funding rather than raisingfunding against existing equity.

KANNINGAPURAM& CHITTOORA great deal of further discussion regarding both

projects has gone on over the last monthsinvolving planners and architects.

UPDATE

KANNINGAPURAM

The change in Andhra Pradesh has resultedin new impetus at Chittoor. The newgovernment in Seemandhra has exerted adegree of pressure for the project. The In-patient facility has been re-contracted andwork completion is expected by June. TheOut-patient facility is continuing to run well.Senior consultants and ground staff arebeing recruited in anticipation of the In-

patient facility opening. Further ideas for anIT centre and further training facilities areplanned. The IT centre could be the base fortele-medicine and distance learning. Againfunding opportunities are under review butthe new State Chief Minister is keen toaccelerate the pace of development in anarea poorly served by healthcareprovisions.

CHITTOOR

GIFT AID Please remember to ensure that

we have up to date gift aidcertificates. We have just gotback nearly £9,000 for 2014

from HMRC. This alone would bevery nearly sufficient to run thethree elderly centres at RUHSA

or help 180 PTP patients. So it isa great benefit and please helpus in this way. If you need more

information give me a call.

2015 ALUMNIASSOCIATION

WEEKENDThe Alumni Reunion 2015 is at theHoliday Inn, Coventry between the 11thand 13th. September. The costs and flyershould be ready by mid-May. That willhave full details regarding thearrangements and booking process. Getthe dates in your diary!

LONG HAULTEDDIES

Mary Brettell was responsiblefor knitting teddies for the kidsat CMC and I was delighted to

take them out in my luggage! Sothey made it much to theenjoyment of the children.

Thank you Mary for your kindefforts and enthusiasm.

The Chapel at Chittoor.



Ruhsa ProgrammesGoing Well

All our projects at RUHSA are going well including 6Farmers’ Clubs, 3 Elderly Centres (FOV Sweden arerunning two more), the various Goat Schemes, YouthSports Clubs and the Girls’ Beauty Course at theCommunity College.

The “Big” News is that the Bishopston Kuppam Linkwho run the Pachaikili Centre have merged with usfrom March 2015. Everyone is delighted that we canwork together.

Dr Arabella Onslow, Chair of the Vellore Rural Communities Trust(VRCT) – itself once a separate charity before merging into FOV –writes:

“Improving the lives of people in rural communities has, for morethan 30 years, been the dedication of VRCT working in conjunctionwith RUHSA in the large block west of Vellore comprising many smalland remote villages. Despite being a department in a medical hospital,RUHSA has always had a holistic approach to wellbeing and, as ourreports over the years have demonstrated, their work has not justbeen to improve illness, but to improve prospects with education andemployment opportunities as well.

VRCT members have largely been drawn from the medicalcommunities and therefore the expertise beyond medicine available tous has been of the enthusiastic amateur, which is why we are thrilled

to welcome BKL into our folds. This group, also associated withRUHSA for 30 years, brings a love and experience of the crucial roleof educating our young people. They have worked most recently withRUHSA to develop the Pachakilli centre, an innovative kindergarten,setting an example of the importance of cherishing young children,educating them through play and ensuring they are starting life feelingvalued and yearning for greater learning. In addition, the Pachakillicentre is aligned with an elderly welfare group, and it is wonderful tosee how the elderly and young children sit together bringing thecommunity closer together across generational lines.

The value of having Sally, Pam and team on board VRCT is clear.Their wealth of knowledge will help us broaden our work with RUHSAand support their valuable projects beyond health and wellbeing intotraining and education and beyond.”

VRCT welcomes Bishopston Kuppam Link

Since I last wrote for the FOV newsletter wein the Bishopston Kuppam Link have beenfollowing correct procedures as laid downby the Charity Commission, and consultingwith our supporters in order to merge ourcharity with FOV (UK). We are delighted to beable to say now that the merger should becompleted by the end of March 2015.Richard Smith has written a letterwelcoming our supporters and we are alldelighted with this new way forward for ourcharity which we are confident will securethe work we do under the guidance of RUHSA.

I have just returned from a three weekvisit to KV Kuppam, with my husband and afriend Jude Brown, who is an experiencedEarly Years teacher. We spent some timeeach day in the Patchaikili preschool play-centre and centre for elderly people,observing what goes on and talking to theteachers and ayah about the curriculum.We opened the purpose-built preschoolbuilding in 2009, with two teachers and anayah as staff. A year later we opened a daycentre for elderly people, using the spareroom in the building. We based this on the

model of the centres set up by VRCT.Despite the three years since our last visit,and although the teachers only had threedays training back in 2009 for the model ofplay-based learning which they use, theycontinue to give a really good experience tothe twenty children who come every day.We have the clear impression that theteachers and ayah all feel a great pride inthe work they do, and rightly so. We aremuch indebted to them for thiscommitment.

Sally Whittingham

Report from The Bishopston Kuppam Link



JAWADI STUDENTSThe Jawadi Hills rise up to 1,200 metres about 40km east of Vellore. Withseveral hundred tiny hamlets, it may take up to four hours to walk from avillage to the nearest road. Though located relatively close to Vellore, thearea is under developed, with a very poor health record and low literacy rate.

Since 1982, the Community Health Depart-ment of the Christian Medical College(CMC) Vellore has been working this areaproviding primary healthcare in a fewplaces and running health clinics, withpatients, being referred as necessary to theCommunity Health and Development(CHAD) Base Hospital, near the MedicalCollege Campus. Since 2008, thedepartment has expanded the services tocover more areas.

In 2011 CHAD took a group of first yearmedical students to the Jawadis for theirtwo week Community Orientation (COP)programme. Students and staff werechallenged by the plight of school leavers.Access to higher education is still a distantdream for teenagers from the tribalcommunities. Even if they stay at schooluntil the age of seventeen, when they couldapply for college courses, there is littleencouragement to do so. In the first placethere is little interest from parents andrelatives. None have experience ofcompleting application forms, which are inEnglish. The courses are conducted inEnglish, which the youngsters have notstudied, school being in Tamil medium. Notsurprisingly they end up doing menial jobs,or working as agricultural labourers, astheir families before them, for the rest oftheir lives.

Motivated by the CMC staff and theyoung medical students, some of the mostpromising youngsters, showed an interest

in pursuing nursing and allied healthcarerelated training courses. CHAD arrangedfor 28 of them to come to the Base Hospitalfor a 45 day crash course in English and onhow to complete applications. Furthertuition was given to help them apply for thecourses of their choice. 17 of them wereawarded places in four Mission Hospitals,at CMC, Christian Fellowship Hospital,Oddanchatram, Salvation Army Hospital,Nagarcoil and Ellen Thoburn CowenMemorial Institute of Nursing, Kolar. 12 ofthem are in their first year, studying for theDiploma in Nursing. The other 5 are doingvarious allied health courses: Diploma inRadio Diagnosis, Diploma in Radio Therapy,or Diploma in Medical LaboratoryTechnicians Course. Almost all of themcome from families who are agriculturallabourers. The parents, or in a few cases,widowed mothers, are bringing up severalchildren. For most of the students they willbe the first member of their family tocomplete higher education.

This is an opportunity for a worthwhilecareer with good prospects. It should alsocreate a pool of trained healthcare workersfrom the Jawadi Hills area who will be theideal workforce for the establishment ofpermanent medical facilities in the projectarea which is the long term plan. Thestudents will be asked to complete aservice obligation period of two or threeyears either in CMC or in the Jawadi Hillsarea if placement is available there.

Subha and Jayapal are two examplesfrom the group. Subha’s parents areagricultural labourers. She has 3 sisterswho need financial support for theireducation and Subha will be the firstgraduate from her family. Both Jayapal’sparents work as agricultural labourers ondaily wages. They have four children. Incommon with the other students there is noway their families can afford to send theirsons and daughters to college. Staff atCHAD contributed from their own salaries tomeet the fees for the students. Other wellwishers who came to know about theproject also gave financial help.Left to right: Meenatchi, Chithrarekha, Shubha, Jayapaul, Sekar, Prakash, Sanjeev, Rajiv Ghandi.

Story continued from page 11

The children do physical exercises and dancemovement every day, usually in the large hallbecause it is too hot for them to play outside.

Musical Chairs for the Elderly.

One of the innovations that has happenedsince our last visit is that each day, justbefore lunch, the children talk in small groupswith the elders. This time to interact with theelders is on the timetable, and there are othertimes too when they mix, sometimes at lunchtime and sometimes when the children aredancing to a CD or to music on the television,some of the elderly women will join in withthem. One of the elderly men used to be anactor and has a very vivid style of story-telling. It is very obvious that both the elderlyand the children benefit from this closeness.

Another innovation since our last visit is theactivity organiser who works with the elderly.She is called Rani, and we saw her playingtraditional games, taking the elderly outsideto walk in the coconut grove, and gettingthem to play Musical Chairs, just after thechildren had played this same game.Competition seemed equally fierce for bothchildren and elderly!



NEW OUTREACH CLINICAT RANGASWAMY NAGAR

The outreach clinic that was started at Rangaswamy Nagar contributes to the fulfillment ofLCECU’s mission in reaching out to the poor of Vellore town. Located less than a kilometer from

the Schell campus, this slum was identified as one of the needy areas of the town by theoutreach team of LCECU, a few months ago. RS Nagar is on the side of a large drainage canal

and the people live in rows of small rooms with no attached toilets. This was the red light area ofVellore and called Suryakulam in the past, till the authorities dealt with that few years ago andthe name was also changed. However the stigma of its past lingers and the community needs

support as it struggles to move forward.

A church had been working in the area for4 years, using a room in the slum. Theoutreach staff had a discussion with thepastor of the church who was very keen onsupporting any initiative by CMC to help thepeople there. After a few informaldiscussions by the outreach staff with thepeople in the community, a meetingregarding the initiation of an OutreachClinic was organized at Rangasamy Nagaron 19.08.2014 along with volunteers fromthe church. 2 separate meetings were heldin the 2 streets of the area after 6 pm (before the families got caught up with theTV serials) to discuss with the people theproposal of starting an outreach work. Thecommunity was very enthusiastic in theirparticipation and welcomed the newventure. They were unanimous in theiropinion that the clinic should be held in thechurch building.

An open invitation was given to peoplewho wanted to serve the community asvolunteers. Following this, a lady who was aresident of the area approached the teamand expressed her interest to serve thecommunity. The team asked her to identifyat least 3 more people who could representthe whole community and come for ameeting in LCECU to plan for the outreach

work. Following this, 3 other women alongwith the volunteer came to LCECU to meetthe team on 16.09.2014. They wereoriented to the roles and responsibilities ofa volunteer. All the 4 were sisters who livedin the same community and the teamdecided to identify other volunteers also.

After discussion with Rev. Emmanuel ofthe Hope Community Centre it was decidedto start the first clinic on 13.11.2014. Mr.Augustine social worker and Mr. Trinity theoccupational therapist in the outreachteam, made a visit to Rangaswamy Nagarin the first week of November and wentaround the community, meeting people attheir homes to inform them of the clinic.

The 13th of November was a very wetday and schools were closed due to theheavy rain. We decided not to cancel theclinic and had the full support of thevolunteers from the community.

Mrs. Beulah Emmanuel, the pastor’s wife,with her team of church believers organizedthe people and had already issued tokensfor them as advised with good support fromthe volunteers of the community. After aword of prayer , the clinic startedfunctioning facilitated by the Social Workerof LCECU along with the CommunityOutreach Nurse, the Occupational Therapist

and driver/ multipurpose worker of theFOV UK funded LCECU Expansion ofOutreach Project.

At the beginning, there were only 5people in the clinic since it was raining. Butgradually, people started to fill the venueand in half-an-hours’ time, the place wasalmost full. We could see people of allgroups from infants, children, adults andthe elderly waiting for their turn to see thedoctor.

After the Social Worker screened peoplefor new charts, the Nurse and the Multi-purpose worker monitored the height,weight and blood sugars and then thepatients were seen by the doctor.

A total of 45 tokens were issued out ofwhich 31 people were seen by the doctor.19 of them were old patients who hadalready registered with LCECU and new



charts were issued to 12 people who weresick and had some chronic illnesses. The

children who accompanied their parentsand relatives were quite enthusiastic,curious and keen to watch what washappening at each point. The clinic will beheld once a month in the area. Patientswho needed further follow up wereidentified and are being followed by thefollow up team. Though the clinic will beonly held once a month, the follow up visitsand discussions with the volunteers willcontinue throughout the month. We aregrateful to the volunteers from thecommunity and the church and the supportof FOV UK which made this possible.

Well done Walberswick!Grateful thanks to the Walberswick AnnualMay Vellore Bazaar - the event hasprovided much of the funding for theseoutreach clinics. (The cakes are great too!)

DISTANCE LEARNINGto Answer India’s Health

ChallengeDr. Jachin is Head of CMC’s Department of Distance Learning. Her husband,Tim, is the Administrator. She is a Vellore graduate and had pledged herself

to a life working in Mission Hospitals. However while she was doing a bond in a

Mission Hospital she became aware of herposition. She was doing long hours in theoperating theatre trying to save youngwomen whose pregnancy had been mis-managed or unsupported. She realised thatshe should not just be spending time in oneMission Hospital saving a few women,when she could educate others who wouldwork in the community to help thoserequiring natal care. India tops the maternaldeath rate and every year 56,000 mothersdie but by training general practitionerswith adequate skills many lives could besaved.

India has no tradition of Family Medicinebut CMC has long had a small FamilyMedicine unit. India is now starting toadopt General Practice, called FamilyMedicine, and Dr Jachin is working with theGovernment who wishes to incorporate herpractices into the medical curriculum. CMCis at the forefront in setting up a Mastersprogramme in Family Medicine – theequivalent of UK’s post graduate training inGeneral Practice. Sunil Abraham now Head

of LCECU was sent to Australia for trainingand now heads up the MSc in FamilyMedicine. Dr Jachin is collaborating withEdinburgh University and using theirMasters programme.

So what is Dr Jachin’s challenge? Thereare 660,000 villages in India which havenever heard of ante-natal care. In Bihar,villagers have to travel 4 hours to reachmedical care. Close to Vellore in theJawardi Hills, people walk severalkilometres to reach a road where publictransport is available. Women about to givebirth have done this ahead of theirconfinement.

Most locals are at the mercy of Pujaris orquack doctors. Overcharging is common. A20 rupee injection might cost 200 and thesame needle used for several patients! GPs,where they do exist, have limited access todrugs and may be have very limited of outof date training. There are 380 MedicalColleges turning out 40,000 graduates butmany get no practical experience. Theavailability of doctors – as mentioned inprevious newsletters – means that only

about 20-25% of India’s doctors are servingthe rural areas with the majority of doctorsserving the 25% of the population in cities.

The Distance Learning programme whichstarted 10 years ago aims to reach out tothe underserved and under-skilled parts ofthe country. In 2010 Central Governmentvisited the Duncan Hospital in Raxaul inBihar and were sufficiently impressed toask them to train doctors in 8 backwardStates. The Distance Learning programmeuses Mission Hospitals as Regional TrainingCentres. There are currently twoprogrammes. Firstly a two year distancelearning course in Family Medicine whichcurrently has 250 doctors enrolled and with50 government doctors plus 25 at Dimapurdoing a 2 year programme at Diploma level.These lead to qualifications. The DistanceLearning Programme in Family Medicinesupports this with materials and teaching incontact sessions.

The last newsletter also reported thebasic training of lay people working inthese needy villages through theprogramme. The varying levels of literacy



is a challenge but people are trained inabout 15 Regional Training Centres beforereturning to their villages with a mandate topass on the training to 10 further villages –covering about 800 villages a year. Thismethod is very cost effective as those sent

for training do not have to give up their jobsto attend the course.

The Distance Learning Department isalso running a course for 100 medicalstudents from mainstream governmentmedical colleges. Overseas doctors are also

now signing up to the programme.Dr Jachin’s ambition of “Training the

Trainers” could have a major impact inadvancing basic healthcare to meet thewider needs in India and is timely given theIndian Healthcare Review.

Person to PersonAs most of you are aware, Vinodhini and I have taken over the administration of the PTP projectin the UK on behalf of FOV. We are grateful to Ann Witchalls who has been doing this for many

years and we hope that we can maintain the high standards set by Ann. Vinodhini and I are stillin the process of familiarising ourselves with this role and we are grateful to Ann and Richard

for patiently overseeing the transition.

The Person To Person (PTP) schemeremains one of the best ways to help thepoorest in society. One hundred per cent ofmoney donated goes directly to assist thoseunable to pay for medical treatment. Alladministrative costs are met by the Friendsof Vellore and CMC itself.

The cost of medical care has steadilyincreased. Grants to individual patientshave recently been increased to £50 perpatient. This presents a challenge to thosewho support the scheme. Each monthdonors in UK support between 20 and 50patients. Without this help the hospitalwould have to divert funds from otherincome to meet the hospital bills of theseindigent families.

Winter is a time when children areespecially vulnerable. Children in Velloreare no different. Chest infections, fever anddiarrhoea become life threatening illnessesto precious little ones, already sufferingthrough malnourishment and poor livingconditions. During the first quarter of 2015,through PTP a significant number of grantscould be made to help such children.

On an administrative note,with theincreasing cost of postage, the PTP Schemeis reviewing the mailing list. Commencingwith the next issue in Autumn 2015 it hasbeen decided to send the Newsletter, freeof charge, to those who have donated tothe Scheme within the last three years. Itis estimated that it now costs

approximately £2 per issue to publish andto post the Newsletter. Some supporterslike to receive the Newsletter, regardless ofwhether they have made a donation. If youwould like to continue receiving theNewsletter, please consider contributing toits publication. The Newsletter is alsoavailable online on the FOV website:www.friendsofvellore.org

A heart felt thanks on behalf of all those,young and old, who have been helped backto health and wholeness through yourgenerosity and compassion.

Dayalan and Vinodhini Clarke (Batch of1977). You will see that we have sent out£40,000 to PTP over the last 15 months.That is great news!

PUBLISHED BY:

Friends of Vellore, Flempton Hall, Bury Road, Flempton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6EG, UK.

Tel: 01284 728453Website: www.friendsofvellore.org

DESIGN AND LAYOUT:

SMK DesignTel: 01252 501 480e-mail: [email protected]

ALL CORRESPONDENCE:

Should be addressed to the Director, Richard Smith, at the Charity’s Office:

Friends of Vellore, Flempton Hall, Bury Road, Flempton, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6EG, UK.

Telephone: 01284 728453Fax: 0871 2439240 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.friendsofvellore.org

FRIENDS OF VELLOREin the United Kingdom and Ireland

Patrons:

Right Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir Ali, Dr. Chitra Bharucha, M.B.E., Lady Howes, Lord Balfour of Burleigh,Mr. M.A.S.Dalal, O.B.E.Professor Tom Meade, F.R.S

Chairman:

Dr. Gareth Tuckwell

Hon. Treasurer:

Mr Jeb Suresh

Director:

Richard Smith, MA.

FOV is a Registered Charity

No. 209168

VELLORENEWSLETTER

FRIENDS OF

ACTION POINT: >GET INVOLVED

FOV receives many requests for volunteerplacements and we will always try to help

find an appropriate placing whethermedical or non-medical - see page 11

Documents

CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, VELLORE, … · comprised of skits, dances, singing, prize giving and motivational speeches. The engaging performances were put on by Mela