The Christian Medical Center and Hospital
The vision is to serve the sick, poor and needy with excellence, compassion and dignity.
For those who are new to the sub-continent of India, the depth of poverty (US$70 per capita income), the sheer numbers (103 million population), literacy (<40%) seen and experienced in Bihar are new. The World Bank in 2005 said that 451 out of 100,000 mothers would die giving birth to their offspring. Within the context of a male gender bias, 85% rural population (living in 39,000+ villages), endemic Tuberculosis, Malaria and Kala-Azar, Bihar presents a formidable health challenge.
The poverty-ill health cycle continues due to the non-availability of affordable and adequate healthcare facilities within reach of ordinary people. Poor health-seeking behaviour (HSB) due to ignorance and unavailability worsens the situation. NIEA attempts to follow the Nazareth Manifesto (Luke 4:18-20) that directs Christians to continuously work towards preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, and releasing the captives, oppressed and ignorant.
Poor health standards including the highest Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate in India make this region of India, still largely under-served and in need of infra-structure development over the next decades.
Diseases afflict children and families due to impure drinking water, inadequate nutrition, polluted soil, and inadequate hygiene. One part of a family visit to any of the Christian Medical Centers will be a class in basic hygiene and nutrition. Women are taught to boil drinking water and use good hygiene in food preparation. A new medical facility in Tamil Nadu is planned and will be commissioned shortly. In the North, a ten-bed Samaritan's Inn was opened for short term care of the destitute and dying.
The Christian Medical Center Hospital will be managed with 3 clear operational goals:
- Development of efficient clinical and administrative processes, which will sustain revenues while providing the highest quality of medical care at an affordable cost to the individual patient.
- Make patient comfort and satisfaction the central value in operations through caring personnel, quality assurance systems, and patient feedback.
- Achieve self-sustaining operations through effective cost management and utilization management. The internal funds that are generated can be efficiently put in use for expansion programs, community outreach, patient subsidies, and charity.
