When the October edition, 2021 of the Asha Kiran Hospital News, Lmptaput arrived yesterday online, I took time to go back in the history of the hospital, which is in its third decade. It was Dr Joseph Thomas and Mrs Grace Thomas, who introduced Anna and me to the hospital. They were founders of the hospital along with Dr Verghese and Nirmal Philip. While in the governing board of the hospital for a while in its initial period, I got to know the aspiration of the founder members to focus on educating children. They started the community centres for pre-school children for providing nutrition and providing informal learning to make them school ready. The hospital facilitated establishing a residential school by an independent agency. That school still is a place of hope for children of development workers who work in cross culturally in different parts fo North India.
Later in the last twenty years the hospital provided informal learning for school readiness through its several community centres. The second picture is that of one of the community centres for pre-school children.
The third picture is that of the school which they started for the local community, where children of the hospital staff study.
I recall the hospitals that I visited during my years of involvement with the Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India, Emmanuel Hospital Association, Christian Medical Association of India and Christian Medical Colleges, Ludhiana and Vellore. I remember 12 hospitals where a school was running parallel to the hospital under the supervision of the hospital.
Let me send greetings to all the hospitals who considered education of children as a calling and pursue it actively!
When I heard Dr Shobha from Asha Kiran recently speak at a meeting at CM Vellore, about the students who started their preschool years in the Community centres at Lamptaput now in college education, I felt that her voice choked with joy. I remember a similar incident when Dr Johny Oommen once spoke about the school and its impact on the youth at Bissam Cuttack.
I feel moved as I recall the stories of some hospitals even now following this path of touching the lives of children with creating a schooling opportunity for children in the community. The Madhepura Christian Hospital in Bihar is one such hospital in its initial phase of starting a school. Its pre-school is already fully functional.
A hospital is a light for the community. It is a joy to see the hospitals being a light for children!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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