• Moving on to the Laboratory, the Biochemistry department has a Beckman Coulter cx9 ALX clinical system which can perform the tasks of 7 to 8 testing machines and can analyze 900 bio-chemical tests per hour! This speed enables doctors can diagnose the patients better and quicker.
  
   
• Similarly, the blood bank of the Hospital operates a Blood Componenting system which separates the various components of blood like plasma, platelets and red cells under sterile conditions and then stores them at specific temperatures for use during operations - a practice performed only in premier Hospitals.

• Ably assisting all this sophisticated equipments is a robust IT (Information Technology) system and network. With a 1 Gbps fiber optic cable which networks the entire Hospital and the ancillary buildings, the network has the potential to enable doctors to access the vital signs of the patients even from the their home. There are close to 10 servers and 80 client computers connected to the network.
   
• The Hospital Management Information System, MEDICOM, comprising of over 60 modules, not only enables easy patient tracking, fast access of the patient information, from anywhere in the Hospital, but also enables some of the medical equipment to ‘talk’ with the computers thereby allowing the doctors to order tests, see results, etc. online.

“According to an independent healthcare consultant firm, 75% of the tech deployment in the city’s healthcare sector is focused on administrative activities, including billing and patient management. There is no emphasis on customer relationship and systems integration…the study found the highest tech deployment in Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.” There are good reasons for this assessment by the consulting firm and here are a few highlights of how the Hospital has effectively embraced IT in delivering better patient care.

• Unlike conventional procedure where CT and MRI images are printed on films, in this Hospital all the scanned images are electronically transmitted to the doctor’s desktop PC immediately upon completion of the scan by the Radiology department. Not only does this help in speedy and effective diagnosis, it also reduces consumption of films by 90%, which is a huge saving!
   
• On the same lines, all the blood samples are bar-coded and fed directly into the electronic analysers in the lab. On successful completion of the ordered tests, the analysers feed the results directly into the patient management software which displays the results directly to the requesting doctor/nurse without any human intervention, and more importantly, without any loss of time which is so important.

• Dr. Nandita Ghosal, In-Charge of Blood Bank, says, “The laboratory has become “paperless” as the results of patient blood profiles and a host of other tests directly go into the patient information system from the automated coulter cell counter and other machines and the information is available for all the doctors to see in any computer all over the Hospital.”

But that is not what Dr. Nandita says is unique to the Hospital, “The sophisticated equipment along with the pleasant ambience here makes blood donations a pleasant experience for the donors.” The Hospital donor statistics (98% by volunteer donors) bear testimony to this fact.

Through word of mouth and with little or no publicity, Sai devotees, students from various colleges and even corporate executives from in and around Bangalore most willingly drop in and offer to contribute their blood. In fact, there are instances when former patients of the Hospital who are very poor have come forward to offer blood saying, “We are very poor…this is the only way we can give something back to this Hospital.” Of course, the blood bank never accepts blood from former patients, but those scenes remain ever fresh in the memory of the staff, inspiring them and giving them a sense of fulfillment.

A little more than a year ago, when eight British Ministers of Parliament (MPs) from the Conservative Party visited the Institute on 28th of September, 2004, the delegation spent close to two hours visiting the Institute.

They went around the outpatient departments, wards, radiology, lab and blood-bank and finally Mr. Peter Luff, Conservative Party MP and the Opposition Whip said to the Press reporters,

“This Hospital is a beacon of hope for the economically weaker sections and it is as good as any facility in the UK.” - Mr. Peter Luff, Conservative Party, MP.

Further, very appreciative of the architecture of the Hospital, they said, this Hospital “changes the lives of those who come here.” Indeed, innumerable are stories of people - be it a patient, a patient-attender or just a visitor – who have left this Hospital recharged with life and energy, and reconnected with the inner recesses of their own being.

There is a unique case in the Hospital records pertaining to three members of a Muslim family—two sisters and one brother—all three suffering from congenital heart disease.

Imagine the plight of the poor father with three out of four children suffering from a malady that can be cured only by medical intervention.

Tina Ambani, former actress and wife of corporate czar, Anil Ambani, wrote in the visitor’s book on 31st July 2004:

“It has been an overwhelming experience! I am speechless, expressionless. Your devotion to humanity is unreal - till you see it, experience it. May god give this vision to more people.”

Dr Lalit Chauhan, Cardiology Consultant from St Louis, Missouri in the USA says,

“My five days here was my first visit to this unique institution. This place combines in the most comprehensive way professional tertiary care, arranging healthcare delivery system and a set of uniquely dedicated individuals working selflessly,” says Dr. Lalit Chauhan, “the quality of care here is so good and up to the best institutions that I will not hesitate for even my family members to get help if they happen to be here and need it. May the reality of this place be a role model for the rest of the world.”

Before the British MPs left, they penned down in the visitors’ book: “Thank you for giving us such a fascinating tour of a truly extraordinary Hospital.”

“An Impressive Healthcare Facility” – Ferid Murad, Nobel Laureate

Ferid Murad, Nobel Laureate in Medicine, 1998 from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, USA also had similar feelings to express. After he took a tour of the Hospital and its work, he said on Nov 18th, 2003,

“Thank you for the tour of your Hospital and clinics. This is a very beautiful and impressive healthcare facility that promises free medical care. I congratulate the Hospital and Swami for such an important mission.” - Ferid Murad, Nobel Laureate, 1998.

Dr. Mitchell W Krucoff, Professor of Medicine/Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Duke University Medical Centre and Director, Cardiovascular Laboratories, Durham VA Medical Centre, (both in the US) visited Baba’s Hospital along with his team of professionals and this is what he records,

“We literally were bathed in the healing space created through Baba’s loving vision, embedded in every detail from the concrete to the gleaming marble floors, in every person from the staff to the patients and their families. What we saw was the highest level of technology, with some equipment even newer than the equipment we use at Duke Medical centre. But the technology was dwarfed by the context into which everything in the Hospital dwelled – healthcare in God’s service.

Conversation Between Dr. Nadana Chandran and Dr. Choudhury V

It is interesting to learn what Dr. Nadana Chandran (Dr. NC), Director of the Neurosurgical Unit, Canberra Hospital, Australia, who spent 2 1/2 weeks in 2005 serving in the Neurosciences Department, said in an interview with Dr. Choudhury V (Dr. VC), another distinguished Cardiac surgeon, from USA.

		Dr. NC: I walked into the ward the other day after we did some major cases and I was amazed at the state of recovery of the patients; it was far ahead of what I would normally see. This is no exaggeration. This is purely something very striking in this place. People recover that well. I am sure it is all the Grace of Swami.
Dr. Nadana Chandran

Of course there is the human skill of the people who are working here, and dedicating themselves to the work here, but there’s something beyond that, of course.

Dr. VC: The other thing (apart from ‘divine grace’) which impressed me when I used to actively work here, was the fact that the patient does not have to pay any money, everything comes free to him, and when he came in he looked at himself and everybody else in a different way. How do you view that?

Who Says There is “No Free Lunch” – Dr. Choudhury

Dr. NC: I come from an environment where medicine is largely driven by money. And, here you see for the first time somebody who can walk in and have the most highly advanced, technologically sophisticated service available with no worry about any money and I am amazed to see people coming all the way after 3 days’ travel, from Calcutta and other places to get the treatment done.

Dr. VC: Till 2001, I used to practise cardiac surgery in Los Angeles and I used to work for 3 months in Swami’s Hospital. Now the thing that amazed me was technologically, over here, even simple things like blood cardioplegia which is a technological advancement, we would do exactly the same thing in Swami’s Hospital. Our tendency is to normally associate something free to be cheap. That was my impression. When I came here I found that the “No free lunch” concept in totally untrue in this environment.

COUNSELING AND PATIENT CARE

Counseling Department: One-of-a-Kind

Once the patients step inside the Hospital, they are reassured and relaxed. They know the Hospital wants nothing from them in return. Providing comfort and confidence and lending a patient ear to all their worries and anxieties is another very unique service wing of the Hospital - the Counseling Department.

This department, if not unique in its concept, is surely intuitively exceptional and one-of-a-kind in its approach and impact. Their fundamental tenets - “Help Ever, Hurt Never” and “Love All Serve All” inspired by Baba.

The counselors of the Hospital provide the non-medical but equally vital emotional support to the patients. Describing their work, a counselor says,

“On admission the patients have different apprehensions as to their stay in the Hospital – at this point we appraise them of the good care available, assuring them of the doctor’s expertise and competence along with free care provided by Bhagawan Baba and they relax instantly.”

Prithvi Pani, who underwent neuro surgery for removal of a tumour, says,

“My nine days stay at the SSSIHMS was a divine holiday. In fact I never had the feeling that I was a patient. In a surgery it is fear that haunts you more than the diseases. But here I must admit that from the time of admission the fear had gone and a subtle peace of mind transcended on me. The state of mind has to be experienced to be believed.

Although I have profound faith in God, the moment I entered this divine medical centre, I began to admire Baba for his selfless service to mankind, through his philosophy of “Love All Serve All”. Every person admitted to this Institute, however poor or rich, is taken care of without any discrimination. The medical service is supreme. A missionary zeal can be seen in every individual serving this Institute and this clearly shows the heartiness of this Divine soul, Sri Sathya Sai Baba who infuses such dynamism into every person serving here.”

Mind is the seat of all emotions and feelings and Baba says, in fact, it is the mind which is the root cause of 98% of all ailments. By generating positive thoughts in the patients, the counselors help in maintaining good health of the patients in the post-operative recovery period.

“On the bedside rounds we see some patients going through great pain and suffering with all the care given. They are looking for solace and comfort. A small prayer to the divine here, together with the patient, releases all pain and tensions – result, the patient falls off to sleep. This is a divine painkiller and we have experienced this several times,” say the counselors who work voluntarily in the Hospital in a spirit of selfless service because of their love for Baba.

SERVICE BY VOLUNTEERS AND PATIENT CARE

Sai Volunteers – The Spinal Cord of the Hospital

One of the most committed and caring among these group of selfless workers are the Sevadals – dedicated teams of volunteers belonging to various Sathya Sai centres all over from the state of Karnataka, who come for short periods of one week and lend their eager and earnest support in the running and upkeep of the Bangalore Hospital.

If the corridors in the Hospital shine and the walls of the wards and offices look bright, it is because of the Sevadals. If the gates of the Hospital are well-guarded round the clock and there is discipline in the Hospital with the patients being guided to the right service department at every step - again it is because these volunteers never mind hard work. It is the sevadals who lovingly serve food to every single patient. It is they who wash and iron patients' clothes in the laundry. It is also they who escort and help patients and carry their blood samples to the respective laboratories. As Dr. Safaya, the Director of the Hospital, says, “They are the Hospital’s in-house mailing system - most robust and trusted.” One cannot imagine the Hospital the way it is without them even for a single day. They add life, vigor and ability to every wing of the Hospital.
		Sevadals ironing patients' clothes

Can you ever imagine an IAS officer [senior Government official] rubbing shoulders with a school teacher and both scrubbing the floors? Or an Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force doing guard duty at the main gate? Or for that matter, the executive of a company carrying the soiled clothes of a patient to the laundry? It happens in Baba’s Hospital daily.

“Sevadals Change the Quality of Patient Care” – Dr. Geeta Rangan

Expressing how the Sevadals change the quality of patient care, Dr. Geeta Rangan, who worked previously in many government and other private hospitals before joining as the head of the Neurology Department of Baba’s Hospital, says,

"Our Bhagawan’s Hospital does away with all the weakness in our different systems of health care. I was pleasantly surprised to see how the Seva Dal take care of the mundane aspects such as reception, guidance of the patients, and even paramedical aspects, without the usual shouting, screaming and exchange of unpleasantries. Instead, there is a quiet atmosphere in which to function, where a troublesome patient can be handed over to a psychological advice group while one concentrates on the next needy individual.” Testimony of a Sevadal Quite happily and with enthusiasm, every Seva Dal accepts his position with a smile and works anywhere. Mr. Prakash Chittaranjan, a longtime volunteer, recollecting his first days of service and says, “The whole Hospital seemed a crystal maze for me at the beginning, not knowing where each lab and other departments were within such a gigantic Hospital complex. But Swami kept telling me from within that He was there to guide me as ever, through his loving Hospital staff (Sisters, Doctors and administrators). I was able to feel the Unity, Purity and Divinity principle that Swami often talks about, which led me to interact well and share my love with the patients and the staff.

Patients from all classes and religions were being treated in this Hospital lovingly and for free. There were smiles all around from the patients and their relatives at the time of discharge, for they were fully charged with Swami's ocean of love.

This was a wonderful gift from Bhagawan to me, whose experience I will ever cherish in my life. As I entered into the last day of Seva, I was beginning to feel heavy hearted for I was about to be rudely woken up from the short and sweet dream. A dream that I wished should never end, deep within my heart. All I wanted to do then was to thank SAI for providing such a wonderful and spiritually enlightening experience and for making me be close to him as part of the overall experience.”

This is the sublime feeling with which the Sevadals give their energy and time to the Hospital. They see Baba in everyone. No Seva Dal member gets tired or complains of hard work. He never aspires for any fruits for his service. He is a silent worker and never projects himself. You can not only see but feel the saying ‘Service to Man is Service to God’ when you see the Sevadals at work.

“The most striking difference between SSSIHMS and other hospitals is the quality of people – doctors, paramedics and volunteers. They are not only skilful practitioners but have a rare quality of affection and cooperation and yet firmness when called for. They all seem to be tiny yet significant fragments of the towering figure – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

People here make you feel so much at home that I told my family not to send an attendant. Of course, my request was not taken seriously. There was no need for anyone to be with me because every doctor, nurse, ward boy and volunteer behaved as if they were my family.”

SAI REHABILITATION PROGRAMME AND PATIENT CARE

One very unique facet of patient care in this “Home of a Hospital” is that the volunteers and staff of the Hospital never forget the poor patients even after they are discharged. Like their own family member they are always welcomed and are given privilege and priority for consultation in subsequent visits to the Hospital. But this is not all.

The Hospital was not satisfied with this….they wanted to take their care and concern beyond the walls of the Hospital…to their patient’s town and village! And thus, about 6 months ago was born the “Sai Rehabilitation Programme”.

Now poor Ramaiah need not feel lonely when he returns home after his operation. No more fears and doubts – “What if things do not go right when I am at home? Who will guide me? Sai Baba’s Hospital is so far away. Who will hold my hand now and help me regain my health?”

Under the Sai Rehabilitation Programme, the patient is always under the Hospital's umbrella and will be under the care of Sai volunteers who are present in every corner of India. The programme was planned and launched as a pilot project in Karnataka State on 17th July 2004 by the Hospital which has partnered with the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation (SSSSO) of Karnataka. The programme in Karnataka will be a working model which eventually will be replicated in all the other States of India.

The programme’s importance and appeal grew within days of its implementation, because the majority of the patients, who are illiterate and have poor economic status, need to be educated and motivated to follow a disciplined rehabilitation routine after a major surgery or intervention. This discipline is imperative for the patient to benefit from the free surgery done at the Hospital in the long term. The Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation’s wide network of dedicated voluntary men and women has only made this project possible and effective.

How Is The Programme Implemented

“As a first step in this project, an orientation workshop was conducted by the Hospital for more than a hundred district doctors and other support staff hailing from all over Karnataka,” says Mr. Umesh Rao, the Programme Director for the Rehabilitation Programme, “Presentations about the programme content, in depth, were made by the Hospital staff followed by an interactive session. A detailed briefing followed on how the body-mind checkup needs to be done including completing the patient status feedback form as formatted by the Hospital. The take-home workshop material included guidelines, medical protocols following discharge, and counseling guidelines for providing emotional support and fostering spirituality.”

Explaining in detail the Programme implementation, Mr. Umesh Rao who also works in the Counseling Department of the Hospital, says,

“The Sai Organisation provides the Hospital with a list of the district doctors and seva representatives, who work in tandem as care providers to implement the programme. The Hospital at the time of discharge directs the patient to report, thirty days hence, to the appropriate local doctor for the first check up. Thereafter the local doctor and the district Seva representative take over the programme implementation. The patient is asked to return for two more bi-monthly checks to complete the six-month recuperative rehabilitation. After every check up, a patient status feedback is routinely sent to keep the Hospital posted about the patient’s recuperation. These periodical checks of the patients are done in the respective doctor's clinics during their regular consulting hours. The volunteer doctors also perceive this as a God given opportunity for rendering Seva in their own clinics!”

There is much more to this Unique Rehabilitation Project than the two paragraphs, so we have for you a power point presentation explaining everything about the project in detail. Please download the presentation here [6.8 MB] to know more about this unique project.

Technical Officers - The Unsung Heroes

Yes, it is the loving care of doctors, nurses, ward boys and volunteers which makes the Hospital what it is - but it is not only them. There is another group which remains in the backstage just like the inconspicuous yet crucial group in a great musical extravaganza working on the sets, on the logistics, the costumes, the lights, the cameras, etc…whose services are vital and basic for the performance to click. This hallowed group is the band of Technical Officers, all former students of Baba’s Institute, who were sent by Baba to premier healthcare institutions and trained on different operations of the Hospital before the Hospital actually started.

Former students of Baba's Institute working as Technical Officers in the hospital...

It is they who handle all the support services of the Hospital, be it maintaining the stores, pharmacy and accounts; or, monitoring and constantly upgrading the IT deployment in the Hospital; or, refining and simplifying the procedures of the Hospital with optimum patient welfare as the sole objective; or, assisting the surgeons in the theatre working as perfusionists; or, managing the crowded outpatient departments of the Hospital which handle more than 300 patients every morning; or maintaining all the expensive medical equipment in the Radiology department and other Laboratories as well as other infrastructure like generators, etc.; or even doubling up as Public Relation Managers, Administrative Officers, etc. All of them keep themselves abreast of the latest happenings in their areas of work and one of them has even contributed a chapter to a text book on Radiology, a field which he was first acquainted with five years ago, when he joined the Hospital after his post-graduation. They are Baba’s Messengers, the chosen Instruments of His grand Mission. In fact, they are like so many wheels working in clockwork precision, safeguarding the running of the great Hospital.

What motivates these post-graduates to forsake good careers and work in the Hospital? You ask them and they will say, “It is our love for Swami and the satisfaction of being a part of His glorious mission.”

They will join the counselors and hundreds of other volunteers and add, “Love is our tool, sincerity our drug and with empathy we see the unseen hand of the divine working in the process.” Their essential love, sincerity and empathy is what makes them stand out and they experience, as they say, the “unseen hand of the Divine”.

THE “UNSEEN DIVINE HAND” AND PATIENT CARE In fact, this “unseen Divine hand” is an experience which every department of the Hospital can vouch for. Ask the surgeons and they will tell you there were so many cases where they thought the patient will not be able to cope, actually survived. And it happened so magnificently! Take the case of Juhi (name changed). When the Neuro specialists saw Juhi, a middle aged woman, brought on a stretcher to outpatient department, they had little clue as to what was the source of her chronic back pain which only increased when she tried to walk. Juhi had experienced hell. She was turned away from all hospitals she had visited. “Your case is too complex with very low chances of survival, we are sorry,” is all they would say. Then somebody told her about Baba’s Hospital in Bangalore. When the doctors examined her thoroughly they learnt she had a very peculiar problem. Her abdominal aorta (blood vessel) had widened sac-like and was eating into the spinal cord. Doctors from both the disciplines - Cardiac and Neuro - teamed up to save this poor lady as the operation was going to be a very complicated affair. Her surgery was done under hypothermia (temperature of blood brought to levels lower with ice) so that her heart can temporarily be suspended (transferred to the heart-lung machine) by Cardiac surgeons while the Neuro surgeons corrected her abdominal aorta and placed spinal implants to support her spine. Her post-operative period was not easy, but when Juhi did leave the hospital, she went out walking!! When Juhi returned to the hospital after three months for a follow up, doctors were amazed with the improvement in her condition. She was totally pain-free! “We are grateful to Bhagawan for His healing grace,” is all the surgeons say. In fact, the construction of the huge gem of architecture that is the Hospital building which spread over half a million square feet of area in just sixteen months is in itself a miracle! Few thought it was possible. Mr. Satish Nayak, who was the Project Director during its construction stage says, “Nearly 500 contractors and sub-contractors gladly bent over backward to fulfill their obligations so that the project schedule could strictly be maintained….such commitment, one could clearly see, was possible only because the Divine Hand was guiding them. It was a case of: ‘Without God on our side, we are nothing; with God on our side, we are everything.’ Dr. Shailaja, MD, in charge of the Bio-chemistry lab says, “When unexpected things happen once, we call it coincidence; when they happen twice it may be just things falling in place due to our good luck; when they happen all through the year, you call them miracles. That is what we in the lab have been experiencing.” She substantiates this saying how on one occasion when they felt that a quality-control workshop must be conducted for the lab technicians in Bangalore, just a few hours later, a doctor from USA landed there with a CD with exactly the contents on quality-control they were looking for! Similarly, when they were not able to programme their sophisticated equipment for a particular test needed for a patient and even the service engineers of the company had given up, suddenly it occurred to them that if they could configure the machine in a particular way they could get the right result they needed and it worked! The doctors could put the patient on the right treatment in time and then thanked Swami. Acclamation and Recognition from WHO Thanks to the committed staff and their devotion to Baba, the quality of the care being offered at the Hospital has attracted the attention of many national and international agencies and personalities. “According to a World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Medical Information Accreditation report, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences at Whitefield in the outskirts of Bangalore, which specializes in cardiology and neurology surgeries and treatment, has one among the lowest rates of mortality, morbidity environment and hospital acquired infection. The Hospital has also been recognized by the National Board of Examination (NBE) to admit PG students in cardiology and neurology for practical training,” reported the Bangalore bureau of Pharmabiz.com on the 21st of Jan, 2002, that is, after one year of its operation." Since 2002, the Hospital has been recognised by the NBE for other disciplines too like Cardiac Surgery, Neuro Surgery, Neurology and even Radiology.         INFUSION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY AND PATIENT CARE The Knowledge Transfer from Distinguished Visiting Doctors Cardiac Operation Theatre Apart from the sophisticated equipment and the doctors’ commitment, another aspect which has contributed amply in maintaining the premium quality of patient care is the visit of distinguished doctors from different parts of the world and the subsequent transfer of knowledge and technologies that are in vogue in top-of-the line hospitals around the world. These experts most willingly join the team of Hospital doctors for short periods and “bring us the latest technology from abroad, from their respective countries and institutions. They teach, they help… from their point of view they are performing Seva, free service. This they do without any reimbursement,” says Dr. Safaya, director of the Hospital. One representative illustration of the many is the case of Dr. Sanjay Kumar Prasad.   Dr. Sanjay Kumar Prasad is Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, which is well known for the pioneering work done in the field of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Cardiac MR). Cardiac Magnetic Resonance is a revolutionary technology with the potential to change the way cardiac patients are treated. With Cardiac MR, screening patients to find out whether they might need an intervention does not need to be an invasive procedure anymore. Dr. Sanjay spent a week with the Hospital doctors in the summer of 2004 and imparted knowledge of this exciting new field to the Radiologists and Cardiologists of the Hospital. "The benefit to the patient is that,” says Dr. Sanjay, “it is much less uncomfortable, there is less risk from the procedure and it is much safer and at the same time provides more information than many of the standard procedures and so greatly helps the doctors manage cardiac patients. In time, Cardiac MR can become an out-patient procedure leading to improved throughput, increased cost savings and reduced morbidity in patients as compared to an invasive procedure.”   TALENTED DOCTORS AND PATIENT CARE The infusion of latest techniques and expertise from regular visiting doctors along with their missionary zeal and enthusiasm greatly improves the skill and knowledge of the Hospital doctors. Many have received celebrated awards and fellowships and some regularly publish papers in reputed medical journals. Dr. A S Hegde Dr. A S Hegde, who heads the Neuro Sciences Department of the Hospital, is a very distinguished Neuro surgeon and a recipient of Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2003 for "outstanding contributions to the state and country." Dr. Hegde on invitation is part of cutting-edge projects in healthcare, the recent one being the invitation by CSIR (Council For Scientific and Industrial Research, India) to be part of the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI), the largest public-private partnership scheme on behalf of Govt. of India, to develop high quality Medical Implants and Development of Gene Chip for molecular diagnosis of Malignant Brain Tumor. He is also part of the six-member committee appointed by the Government of Karanataka to suggest views on improving the quality of healthcare services offered in the 16 government hospitals in and around Bangalore. Dr. Smruti Ranjan Mohanty of the Cardiac Surgery Department, for instance, was awarded the Evarts A. Graham Traveling Fellowship for 2004-05, granted by the American Association of Thoracic Surgery. It entitles him to work in the specialized field of pediatric heart care in the prestigious Charles Stewart Mott’s Children’s Hospital in Michigan, USA which is rated “the Best” in the state of Michigan for child healthcare and fifth in the USA by ‘Child’ magazine. Dr. Mohanty is the third Indian to be conferred this Fellowship in the last 40 years. A very rare achievement, indeed! Dr. Anil Kumar Mulpur, Consultant, Cardiac Surgery Department, has contributed to two chapters in a text book on "Techniques in Extracorporeal Circulation- 4th Edition" published by Arnold Publishers, U.K. in 2004. He has co-authored the first chapter of the textbook with Christopher M Munsch, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK and also the sixteenth chapter with a few consultants working at the Leeds Hospital, U.K.   GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT AND PATIENT CARE The state government of Karnataka, the state in which the Hospital is located, acknowledging the noble mission of the Hospital not only provided land measuring 52.26 acres in the prime Export Promotion Industrial Park free to the Trust for the construction of the Hospital and waived many taxes during its construction stage, but also even now offers huge subsidies with respect to electricity charges. Similarly, the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, exempts customs duties for imports of equipments and infrastructure for the Hospital. The infrastructure, the equipment, the expertise of the doctors along with the government’s support has made the Hospital exceptional. Add to this, its soothing ambience and the noble mission of Bhagawan, and the Hospital becomes a ‘role model’ for the healthcare profession.   Swami with the then Chief Minister (left) and Governor of Karnataka in 2003 “It is Not Only a Medical But a Spiritual Contribution” – Dr. Krishna Kant, Former Vice-President of India. Dr. Krishna Kant, former Vice-President of India, after visiting the Hospital way back in 2001, had said, “SSSSIHMS is a wonderful contribution of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. To have a free and modern Hospital for the poor people of India was a dream and pledge of our leaders in the freedom struggle. This is a realisation of (the) dreams (of) Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. It reproduces our spiritual heritage. One feels proud after going round it. This can be (a) model for all the developing countries as well as the developed world. The developed world has these facilities but not free for the poor. May this example be followed by others. It is not only medical but a spiritual contribution.” Yes, since its inception every patient and every visitor has looked at this Hospital with wonder. After 6,000 cardiac operations, more than 5,500 neuro surgeries, 3.5 lakh outpatient consultations and after five golden years of service, the Hospital is as dedicated and as committed as ever to serve the poor and the forlorn. THE MILESTONES IN PATIENT CARE In these five years that have gone by, the Hospital has also seen many changes, crossed many milestones, overcome many challenges and been a witness to many eye-opening revelations and stirring transformations. “Making a Difference to People Who Had Given Up Hope.” – Dr. Safaya When in the first six months of its existence, the Hospital crossed 1,500 surgeries, leading newspapers carried stories about it. Dr. A N Safaya, the Director, said at that time, “The Institute has also treated 18,012 cardiac outpatients and 10,722 neuro outpatients. Another 2,000 plus cardiac and over 1,000 patients in the neuro-sciences were treated as in-patients in the Hospital.” Speaking to the press on the social impact of the Hospital on that occasion, Dr. Safaya had said, it is “making a difference to people who had given up hope.”       "Indian Express", 26th July 2002 In April 2004, The Times of India under the title, “Holistic Healthcare: Hospital Treats 2.5 Lakh Patients” congratulated the Hospital for the feat and continued to add, “Most of them belong to the lower income group, and many come in from Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa and even some from European countries.” "Times of India", 29th April, 2004   Who Are the People Most Benefited by the Hospital? Truly, going by the Hospital statistics, more than 60% of the patients operated upon in this Hospital earn less than Rs. 1500 (US$ 33) per month and 25% out of this do not even have a monthly income of Rs. 500 (US$ 11). It is the same statistics with the 3,50,000 patients seen in the outpatient department of the Hospital - about 2,50,000 out of these earn less than Rs. 1500 a month. “Since inception in January 2001,” the newspaper article in April 2004 continues, “doctors here have performed complicated procedures in cardiac and neuro branches, with state-of-the-art technology. In commercial terms, the cost of treatment meted out free is around Rs. 150 crore. Lakhs of patients depend entirely on the Hospital.” Beautifully, the article describes the Hospital as the ‘Hospital With a Heart.” Bhagawan Baba in His discourse during the inauguration of the Hospital had said, “We do not have any discrimination for caste, creed, religion, and nationality. We offer free treatment to everybody. We are determined to offer free treatment, come what may. Safeguarding the lives of patients is our main objective. Eschew greed for money; develop love and a spirit of sacrifice.” MEDICAL CHALLENGES AND PATIENT CARE It is this powerful inspiration coming directly from Bhagawan which has propelled the doctors and the staff of the Hospital to go any length to make someone’s life better. Some Complex Operations…To Save a Labourer, a Small Shop Owner Mrs. Mohan Das, a labourer, was shattered when her new born 18-day-old baby’s lips turned blue. When the doctor in a private hospital told her she will need over Rs. 300,000 to correct her baby’s heart and even that came with a 50% risk to her life, she just lost all hope and accepted her fate. It was at this time that she heard of Baba’s Hospital.   The doctors performed on her baby Arterial Switch Operation considered as one of the most complicated types in the practice of neonatal cardiac surgery involving correcting the interchanging between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Seeing the smile on her baby’s pink lips, Mrs. Das had no words to express her gratitude on her way back home. For her, her little one has received a second life by the grace of Bhagawan Baba. Abdul Vahid who owns an electrical shop in Kotma town of Madhya Pradesh was a worried man when he learnt that his child, Saniya, has a very complex congenital defect of the heart—Dextro Transposition of the Great Arteries, due to which impure blood is pumped to all parts of the body and the pure blood is sent to the lungs. Abdul could never have afforded the complex surgery, costing around Rs. 3 lakhs. When he heard of Baba’s Hospital through the local Sai Samithi, it was like a boon from heaven. In March, 2003, Abdul brought Saniya to the Hospital. Balloon Atrial Septostomy was performed as an intermediate step and 6 months later Saniya was operated for Senning’s. In the surgery lasting over 8 hours, the defect was corrected, and Baby Saniya having recovered completely is now in the pink of health. For this free gift of health to his child, Abdul is ever grateful to the Hospital. Cardiac and Neuro Surgeons Come Together to Restore Eyesight to a Farmer Similar was the experience of a poor farmer from Coimbatore in August of 2004 when in a rare display of skills Cardiac and Neurosurgeons of the Hospital got together to perform yet another rare and complex procedure, this time to reverse the sudden onset of blindness in one of the eyes of the farmer. The blindness, the doctors found out was because of a giant aneurysm (a balloon-like enlargement of the arteries) in his brain. The aneurysms can sometimes grow to enormous sizes and cause significant difficulty in treating them. In this case too, the aneurysm was so large that it was compressing the optic nerves and other vital structures in the brain. Any excessive manipulation of the normal brain would cause serious complications, which could sometimes be fatal. Therefore direct aneurysm clipping, the normal way out for dealing with these bulges, was ruled out. It was here that the specialty of cardiology also came in. The cross functional team of surgeons and perfusionists operated on him using a technique called ‘hypothermia with low flow state’ or ‘cardiac arrest’ which would help the neurosurgeon open the aneurysm directly, reduce its size and then clip it. The cardiac surgeons opened up the heart and diverted the blood to pass through the heart-lung machine. Simultaneously, the body was cooled to a very low temperature of 18°C, at which the brain would survive without oxygen for about 20-30 minutes. The aneurysm was opened, reduced in size and then clipped successfully in a marathon surgery lasting over 9 hours. The farmer, needless to say, was very grateful to get back his eye sight.   The New On-Campus Accommodation For Patient Attendants Recently, in a move to better the facilities for the patients, an “on-campus accommodation facility” for the patient attendants has been constructed. This was a long-felt need as most of the patients being very poor, go through untold suffering to get accommodation. The Salarpuria Group of Companies graciously came forward to build the “Sai G.D. Salarpuria Foundation Block” and offer it to Swami. The new building located just beside the Hospital once fully operational will be a great boon for the patients and their attendants. So far five such complex surgeries have been performed in the Hospital for complex aneurysms. That success in such cases requires very high degrees of skill, coordination, and endurance from the surgeons and other staff is implicit. All of them and many more have experienced the "Joy of Life" in the hospital On similar occasions, the Hospital, as the Times of India article in 2004 suggests, has indeed done challenging operations and complicated procedures whenever required to save a breadwinner of a family, a young mother, a teenager or a tiny baby. “He is Sai’s Gift to Our Family” – Thankamani, Mother of an Infant Patient The sadness in the eyes of Thankamani holding her 18 days old baby in her arms said it all…Her baby was born with a complex heart ailment referred to as – Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) which involved malfunctioning of the two major vessels that arise from the heart. Hailing from a family of labourers, Thankamani could barely provide for her family, so the surgery for her little one was just an elusive dream. The child’s condition deteriorated and she was in a state of panic. It was at this time that she heard about Baba’s Hospital. Free surgery? It seemed too good to be true. She rushed to Bangalore, nevertheless. “An Arterial Switch Operation (ASO), which belongs to the higher strata in the risk spectrum in neonatal surgery was done and two months later,” says Ashwin V, the technical officer at the outpatient department, “a bubbly little boy walked into the outpatient department for a review." The smile on his lips and sparkle in his eyes betrayed the painful-looking scar over his once-defected heart.   The mother speaks excitedly about his first words and his first steps towards her. Her little bundle of joy is blue no more she says. She can send him to school, watch him study, play and grow as a normal child. And then with a simple love and gratitude known only to the very poor, she adds, "We have given him a name now. We have decided to call him 'Sai Prasad'. He is Sai's Prasad, or Sai’s gift, to our family". This institution, literally is a poem in brick and concrete, as somebody said. It is a poem that began five years ago and will probably never end. Hundreds of Thankamanis, Abduls and Mohan Dass’ script new stirring stanzas every day and the great saga of divine love continues….drenching the hearts of millions with pure selfless love. A love that loves for love's sake alone.   H2H Connects Two Hearts… If the readers of Heart2Heart remember, in the November issue of H2H, we carried the moving story of a poor student, Pradeep, from Orissa who was operated on in this Hospital. (To read it again, go here). Pradeep’s father, a farmer, could hardly afford his education and it was Pradeep’s perseverance alone that won him a seat for studying MBBS. But his heart ailment troubled him and made his plans of becoming a doctor an elusive dream. Since then….Pradeep came to the Hospital, was operated upon and was so touched that after the operation he said, “I’ve never received so much of love before. The doctors, the nurses and all staff are so loving. The doctors, knowing I am doing my MBBS used to give me text books to read so I do not get bored. I shall forever remember their loving and caring treatment. ” But the story does not end there! Reading this article one Sai devotee from Australia wrote to us saying that he would like to help Pradeep. During Baba’s Birthday celebrations, this gentleman came to our studio and even took the address of the boy and said, “I will find out all details about him and see to it that he becomes a doctor.” We gave the gentlemen all the information and advice he needed. It was a great feeling for us witnessing two hearts coming together through Heart2Heart! THE IDEAL PATIENT CARE – WORTHY OF EMULATION A Shining Star….A Guiding Light – Dr. Krucoff Dr. Mitchell W Krucoff from the Duke University Medical Centre, says, “Like shining stars in the darkest of nights, Baba’s Hospitals in Puttaparthi and Bangalore not only live the answer to that question in the free care they deliver every day, but also as examples of how much God is ready to teach us about the alleviation of human suffering through optimal medical care. He has built these programmes – all we have to do is to open our eyes and see…..to the western world of modern medicine, what blessing it is to have such a guiding light.” Speaking to the Hospital staff on one occasion, Baba said, “The service you are performing is a very exalted and highly beneficial act. Service to the downtrodden, sick and miserable people who are in pain and afflicted with disease is the most precious and valuable deed. The work being done here is very sacred work, and words cannot adequately describe it. So work happily and spread happiness to more and more patients. Be happy and make everyone happy.” Making others happy – that is the key. Is it Possible Elsewhere? Many say it is great that such wonderful Hospitals set up by Baba exist, but it cannot be replicated elsewhere. It is just not possible. To this, Dr. Safaya, the Director of the Hospital, in an interview with Felix Wust, editor of SWISS MED, said, “Why not? The Western countries should be able to do it. I don’t think Westerners are devoid of sympathy for the people. I don’t think the West is lacking in the type of people who think that serving man is serving God.” With Selfless Love…Nothing is Impossible So that is the crux of the story. If any personality or group can love as selflessly as Baba, then it is surely possible! For, there is the desire to do good in every human heart. It has only to be strengthened, fortified and practised; and that is the great miracle of transformation which silently but surely is happening in the quiet corners of every heart that has seen Him and experienced His love.   Whether any more such grand “Temples of Healing” stand steady and strong as beacons of hope for the poor and the forgotten, each one of us can surely become a guiding light, a little shining star helping many others to make their journey from discord to harmony, from hopelessness to hope and from depression to delight! And this, we know, is possible only with love, genuine selfless love! - Heart2Heart Team