Three new hospitals !

Anna and I were at Vellore a few days ago to attend the funeral of a dear friend and A former colleague! 

During the in betwehen time, we were able to go to Chittoor to visit the Chittor campus of CMC, Vellore. The last time we were at this site was about two years back. Since then, the place is brimming with activity providing high quality care for local residents and others visiting from far away places. 

The Out-patient area had about 200 people waiting to be seen and even other areas we were able to visit, which did not need prior permission from the authorities, indicated the significance it has earned in health care in that town and the state. The roads connecting the different buildings had cars parked as the parking are was overflowing. 

The bulletin board at the entrance displayed all the services offered in the hospital, which was impressive as most of these facilities have come up in the last five years since it started the services probably eight years ago. 

What inspired me was the building under construction, visible from the gate and from far away on the way to Chittor campus, the Nursing College. It seems to be the first of the other education institutions that might come up in the years to come. 

This campus came into being when the late, Mr Y S Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh offered this land, which CMC purchased to develop a health care facility. Now that Mr Jagan, the son of Mr YSR is the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, hopefully more developments could take place faster! 

I was desperate to take photos of the campus buildings, facilities and people's movements, but refrained to do so, as I did not take permission earlier! It is a place worth visiting! It is changing the health profile of Chittoor already from the comments I heard from a few visitors whom we happened to meet in the gate outside. 

The second site we visited was the Kanigapuram campus of CMC Vellore which is under construction to offer out patient services and inpatient care. A hospital with a focus on trauma and advanced facilities in all the higher specialties hopefully would be complete for occupation in 2020. It started as a project to decongest the town campus of the main hospital, but is now destined to be a hospital of future for 1500 inpatients from the little I hear about it from friends. A large residential complex is also coming up behind the hospital. The site is under security cover, which denied me an opportunity to enter the campus and feel the ambience of this new environment at this time of the finishing touches to the exterior. This photo from the high way gives away its impressive and intriguing presence. Good wishes for making this hospital for the next century in the hundred and twentieth year of CMC hospital. 

Along with this transition of a part of the current town hospital moving to the new Kanigapuram campus, there are renovations going on in the town campus to make it more user friendly. The old student nurses hostel would soon be a fully furnished out-patient facility, ICU and a theatre complex for the Orthopaedics department.  

The buz is that a plan is in evolution for a children's hospital in the Kanigapuram campus in the near future. That has been a long felt need. 

This new hospital has many promises to keep. The top most being is to guard the hospital to conform to the motto of the institution, 'not to be ministered unto but to mister'!

The third new hospital initiative in Vellore town is a super specialty hospital in Vellore town about half a kilometre from CMC hospital, by the Vellore Institute of Technology university, in collaboration with the Ford foundation. The VIT having become a centre of excellence, one among ten private institution in the country, under the recent award of honour by the University Grant commission, it is likely that this hospital woeful be a destination for all those who seek the corporate culture, hospitality and technologically advanced health care facility. What I heard was that some alumni of CMC are likely to be in the leadership of the new hospital, which is due for commissioning in 2021.

The sleepy town of Vellore has become a city with many new additions. It is not the place to which Dr Ida Scudder came to provide health care for women who lived in the 'enclosed' corners of their houses.  It is now a place of some historic sights and scenes with its story intimately connected with the decision of Aunt Ida to become a doctor and return to India because she experienced three women die in child birth in Vellore one night for want of a lady doctor!

I hope all hospitals would be places of hospitality. I have had some anxious moments recently for which I have had to go to seek help from professionals. What I received was an affirming approach which lifted my spirit and quietened my anxiety!

I hope that would be the same for all who come to CMC Vellore!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)