Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda

Church of North India (CNI)
Chhattisgarh, India

Read the most recent update here

As a hospital of the Church of North India, Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda strives to show Christian love through quality healthcare. Located in Chhattisgarh, India, Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda serves a rural population who have few healthcare options, and aims to provide the best quality care at minimal cost. Over 19,000 outpatients and 3,000 inpatients receive treatment at Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda each year. Additionally, the hospital runs health outreach programs in which staff visit nearby villages to treat homebound patients. As of 2017, over 7,000 patients have received home doctor visits at little or no cost.

The majority of the hospital’s nursing staff received training from the hospital’s own nursing school, which educates both female and male nurses. Many nursing students come from challenging circumstances and receive financial assistance for their schooling fees. Also located on the hospital grounds are the nursing student dormitories, housing for doctors and their families, kitchen, and medical wards. A visitors’ area for friends and family of patients is under construction, and upon completion, hospital visitors will have a space to spend the night and the use of a kitchen during their stay. They will have access to bathrooms as well, which are designated for visitor use.

Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda is improving their facilities and quality of care. Most recently, the hospital made improvements in the kitchen and completed the construction of a new maternity ward.

Currently, the hospital is raising funds for additional improvements, including the purchase of new equipment to replace outdated ones or supplement their current supply. These items include a digital x-ray machine, a new electro-cautery (surgical use) machine, and medical school dummies and manikins for the nursing school. Upcoming campus improvements for the Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda include building an endoscopy and laparoscopy unit for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal conditions, and expanding the doctors’ housing and nursing dormitories to accommodate more staff. The hospital would like to upgrade its sewage system in order to ensure that hospital waste is disposed of in a non-hazardous and environmentally friendly way.

Global Ministries welcomes gifts for the life-giving work of the Evangelical Mission Hospital Tilda.

Update: July 2018

Tilda Evangelical Mission Hospital is approaching its 90^th anniversary of providing vital healthcare to rural Indians. Established in 1929, Tilda now serves 20,000 outpatients and 3,500 inpatients each year. “The hospital caters to the health needs of a segment of society who are from the poorest of the poor,” reports Tilda’s director, Dr. Satyajit Jiwanmall. “Many have to borrow money for their treatment in the event of a life threatening illness.”

Tilda is located in the state of Chhattisgarh in east-central India. This region accounts for some of the worst health statistics in the country. For example, the state’s infant mortality rate is 4.1 per 100 live births—compared to Delhi’s rate of 1.8, and the United States at .6. Despite these difficult circumstances, Tilda is actively identifying factors contributing to undesirable healthcare outcomes and mitigating these with capacity building initiatives.

Projects planned at the hospital in 2018 include a solar power plant, doctors’ apartments, accommodations for accompanying loved ones of patients, a sewage treatment plant, and a dormitory for male students and staff. For 2018, the hospital performed 800 deliveries, 767 surgeries, 26,000 laboratory investigations, 2,000 x-rays, and 400 blood transfusions. Last year, Tilda forgave $30,000 of patient debt for those in extremely challenging situations. “The people come to the Evangelical Mission Hospital with great expectations that they will be cured of their sicknesses and would not be charged exorbitant amounts for their healthcare needs,” proclaimed Dr. Jiwanmall.

Solar Power Plant
Tilda Hospital was spending about $1,800 a month for unreliable conventional electricity, so the hospital decided to invest in cost-saving environmentally sustainable solar panels on the roof, ideally situated to absorb the rays cast down on 300 sunny days a year. Almost half the cost was subsidized by the Indian government, and Tilda is fundraising currently to repay a $25,000 loan needed to cover the rest.

Doctors’ Apartments
Rural Chhattisgarh has great difficulty recruiting health professionals. India’s Health Ministry reported in 2018 that the state employs only one medical doctor per 15,916 residents; Tilda Hospital has only four tireless physicians. To attract prospective hires, Tilda is raising money to construct new employee apartments to complement the existing limited housing facilities built in 1930. These apartments will give the hospital a better chance to persuade doctors in delaying new careers in more fashionable locations and to instead, make a sacrifice for the privilege of serving those with little access to medical care.

Loved Ones’ Accommodations
It is difficult for many Indian families to admit their relatives to the hospital in a timely manner due to economic barriers. These barriers include transportation costs, obligations to remain at their sick relative’s bedside, and simultaneously caring for their family members back at home. Tilda began constructing a waiting area for accompanying loved ones in 2017 to help alleviate this burden. This complex will be self-contained with a dormitory, cafeteria, and bathrooms.

Sewage Treatment Plant
As more and more patients come and go, government environmental protection regulations obligate the hospital to begin treating its accumulating wastewater. Tilda is currently raising $62,000 to build a sewage treatment plant. The hospital has tapped underground aquifers as its main water supply, and this facility will help protect that resource from contamination, as well as produce recycled water for garden irrigation.

Dormitory for Male Students and Staff
Tilda is the only mission hospital in central India that offers General Nursing and Midwifery training to male nurses. Most students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, so they also use this valuable degree program to help end their family’s cycle of poverty. Twenty are enrolled in the program now, but unfortunately, their dormitory was recently condemned and demolished. The hospital is currently raising money for a modest replacement, complete with a cafeteria and recreational facilities to maintain a healthy learning environment for the pupils.

Update: November 2019

In March 2019, Tilda Hospital, in partnership with Christian Medical College offered the seventh annual Community Lay Leader Health Training Certificate Course. The course offers a unique opportunity for community leaders to learn medical skills on the prevention and treatment of illnesses, therefore becoming agents of holistic healing. To date, almost 70 individuals have completed this certificate course.

Due to recent changes to state and government health sectors in India, all nursing schools in India are required to increase training standards and credentials. The majority of Tilda hospital’s nursing staff have received training from the hospital’s own nursing school, which educates both female and male nurses. With these recent changes, Tilda Hospital will need to increase its capacity in a few areas. Specifically, the hospital will need to upgrade their classrooms, increase the number of faculty numbers, and make critical improvements to the hospital infrastructure.

In the last year, the hospital has completed several improvement projects. This includes renovations on the staff housing and the hospital guesthouse, a repaired overhead water tank, a new ICU ventilator, fire safety equipment, and solar panels were installed to reduce electrical costs. Currently, the hospital has started work on building a new much-needed wing for male patients, as well as developing plans to repair and maintain staff housing. The other current priority for the hospital is to purchase a sewage treatment machine for environmental protection. Further into the future, the hospital will begin planning the construction of a new theatre complex.