I listened to a moving story of Drs Shoba and Naveen last week in a meeting at Bangalore (seen standing in this photo, email: siloameh@yahoo.com) where some concerned about the future of the mission hospitals in India, held a consultation with the Moderator of Church of South India, initiated by the Christian Medical College, Vellore and Bangalore Baptist hospital.
Shoba and Naveen, working at Madanapallee in the Telengana region with an NGO started by them, was invited by the local Bishop of Church of South india a year back, to revive the 102 years old Madanapalle Mission Hospital. They having served their sponsorship obligation in this hospital and feeling disturbed by the decline of the hospital decided to respond to this invitation.
Naveen an Orthopaedician and Shoba an ophthalmologist got started by renovating the building, getting essential equipment for the laboratory and diagnostic services and enthusing the handful of staff left in the hospital, to transform the place into a place of welcome for patients. They have had debts to pay to restart the pharmacy and the laboratory. They and their friends contributed towards this. They received some respite from the government to pay the pending provident funds due to the government, which the church offered to pay. They were surprised by the goodwill from the people of the town, although the hospital is surrounded by other nursing homes. The cheer and response of the local people made then continue the efforts to make it into a community hospital.
After a year, the hospital is fast recovering and is already into its next phase of expansion.
What moved me is the cheer and enthusiasm with which Shoba and Naveen spoke about their experience. They motivated us by their story to believe that some hospitals struggling to exist, situated in needy areas too have the prospects of renewal if there are people with a sense of calling and purpose at the leadership.
Well done, Shoba and Naveen. Yours is a story of God’s faithfulness and your responsiveness to God’s promptings in your lives.
We shall walk with you in your calling, because you show the way for rest of us!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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