Emmanuel Hospital Association

EHA serves throughout northern and central India in the provinces of Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, and Uttar Pradesh. This region of India is generally remote and economically disadvantaged. Most of the year the climate is quite warm. From February to November temperatures will be at least 30 degrees Celsius (86 deg F), but in the height of summer temperatures reach 45 Celsius or more (over 115 deg F). December and January, or year round at Landor Community Hospital high in the mountains of Uttaranchal, overnight temperatures are less than 5 Celsius (less than 40 degrees F).

Become familiar with India’s culture, history and economy by reviewing the Wikipedia India Page Profile. Rich resources for India health information include the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation IHME India Country Profile and the World Health Organization Global Health Observatory India Data.

A high proportion of India’s population continues to suffer and die from preventable infections, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera & diarrhea, malnutrition, and pregnancy and childbirth related complications. Most Indian women deliver in their villages on their own or with the help of a village midwife (Dai), and those who present to hospital are usually emergency cases and often require Caesarian section.

At the same time new health threats are stretching the capacity of the health system to respond. Approximately 4 million Indians are living with HIV, and the virus is spreading from highly susceptible groups to the general population in some states, threatening to erase much of the social, economic and health gains since Independence.

EHA purposely aims to serve India’s the most disadvantaged people. Most patients are extremely poor, some are Moslems, and many are women and girls – those who traditionally receive substandard care. Medical care is often the last priority for the such people because of the costs involved. Therefore, patients frequently present very late in the course of their illnesses, or choose to die in their villages.

Hindi is the primary language of northern India. All of the doctors and most of the staff speak at least some English. Patients, however, are almost entirely Hindi speaking. Staff are available to provide translation.

EHA is a network of 21 hospitals and 27 community health projects, and is committed to the transformation of communities with programs that invest in the health and well being of everyone, irrespective of caste, creed or race. With a catchment population of nearly seven million, EHA treats more than 500,000 patients each year. Each Hospital of EHA is a separate registered charitable society, which has entered into a Deed of Incorporation with EHA and each other. This form of relationship fosters accountability and mutual assistance between them all.

EHA hospitals provide the full range of clinical services, including obstetrics & gynecology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, general Surgery, urology, and family medicine. Diagnostic services include clinical lab, radiology, and ultrasound. Service statistics for 2005 include 55,953 inpatient admissions, 6431 major surgical procedures, 7,756 eye surgeries, 16,029 supervised deliveries of which 12,346 were high risk pregnancies.

Most physicians, nurses and other health professionals have chosen to work with EHA over more lucrative opportunities in India’s larger cities, the US or the Middle East. In all, EHA employs 118 physicians, 453 nurses, and 139 community health staff. Most physicians are Indian born and educated. Many have received postgraduate medical training in the US and Europe, and they are joined each year by hundreds of volunteer physicians from these nations.

EHA has had a strong commitment to HIV intervention with research, counseling, prevention, and treatment projects since 1995. Particular focus is placed on higher-risk groups, including sex workers and migrants. EHA works through its hospitals and community health programs to provide comprehensive HIV care in some of the most underserved parts of India. These services are especially known for their home-based emphasis, critical care, and medical support to widows and children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Training and professional development are integral to EHA�s strategy, and HIV Leadership students benefit from this approach. They learn the social, economical and psychological aspects of the disease, as well as management of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and opportunistic diseases.

EHA manages twenty-seven community health and development projects in northern India. For example, the Herbertpur Community Project in the state of Uttrakhand works in primary health care, tuberculosis control, substance abuse rehabilitation, disaster risk reduction, and care for disabled children. The Chetna Project in the State of Bihar provides primary health care, women’s literacy, adolescent girls vocational training, and prevention of mother to child HIV transmission.

Whilst the majority of projects are associated with a base hospital, seven are ‘stand alone’ projects, with two in urban slums and the remainder in rural areas. Most projects include community organization, literacy education, financial training, micro-enterprise, maternal and child health, and service for physically and mental disabled children. EHA community health is also integrated with HIV prevention efforts that focus on behavior change.

Most towns have Internet cafes for emailing. Postal mail in India is unreliable.

INMED invites all participants to consider raising extra funds to financially support this facility. While such efforts are not required, they provide opportunity for INMED personnel to become involved in this important aspect of international healthcare.

EHA – Health