“A dream come true” – Good news from India

The new Intensive Care Unit and General Ward at Chinchpada Christian Hospital are open!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave so generously to support this project. As you may remember, the old Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital only had four beds, and the General Medical Ward, which dated back to the 1940s, was no longer fit for use.

But the new ICU has 14 beds, the new General Medical Ward has 15 beds, and the whole area has a lot more space to allow the team to work comfortably.

Consultant physician Dr Jibi John proudly shares, “Our new wards, a massive upgrade over the old ones, have been a dream come true. This modern, state of the art ICU is a reflection of God’s heart and plan for our patients. We can now treat them with facilities that any urban patient today has access to, at costs they can afford.

“The sight of our patients, from Lakhan, a father of two being treated for life-threatening tetanus, to Vishakha, a little girl with a gastric condition requiring surgery, fills our hearts with gratitude for those who have invested in this project and poured out their hearts to make this excellent care possible.”

Lakhan is shown in the picture at the top of this story on the right. His life was saved by his treatment in the new ICU.

See the new wards for yourself – watch the virtual tour created by our friends at Chinchpada Christian Hospital (CCH):

What next?

Now that these new wards are open and treating patients, our next challenge is to help our friends at CCH to continue providing affordable services for those who need care.

Most CCH patients earn less than £2 a day. Five days in a government hospital ICU would cost £300, and in a private hospital it would cost £1,500 or more – costs that would be impossible to cover for many.

But by working to keep costs low, a five day stay in the CCH ICU costs £150. CCH then subsidises this so that patients only have to pay £50.

Dr Jibi says, “If not for the support raised for treatment and medicines, these patients would never have been able to have the care they needed.”

This is why continued regular support is so vital. If you haven’t already, would you consider giving a regular gift to help make sure treatments continue to be affordable for patients like Lakhan and Vishakha?

Every monthly gift of £40 could subsidise the cost of a patient’s treatment in the ICU for two days.

Thank you

Dr Jibi expresses it so well when he says, “Thank you for your friendship and support on the journey through your generous giving. As we witness God’s wonderful works, our hearts are full.”

Thank you to everyone who is helping to make the incredible work of our partners possible.