India
GHM in India
Not too many years ago, surgeries at Parkijuli Christian Hospital were performed under a hanging light bulb or, when the electricity went out, by flashlight. Today there are surgical lights, and generators for back up. A working water pump sent by Global Health Ministries (GHM) provides running water for the hospital. An anesthesia machine and equipment for laparoscopic surgery have been sent in recent years.
Located near the border with Bhutan in Assam state, Parkijuli admits more than 5,000 people every year. Their mission is “to serve the poor and medically underserved of northeast India with quality and compassionate care, regardless of race, religion, or national origin.” Without Parkijuli, many of those people would receive no care at all.
Currently GHM partners through Parkijuli with the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in India to build its capacity for quality and sustainable healthcare. Health education and promotion in the community at the village level is also a vital part of Parkijuli’s integrated approach. Community Health Workers have already played a large role in eradicating malaria from Assam, while the fight continues against Tuberculosis.
Data from WHO, and The World Bank
Meet Dr. Iswary
Dr. Rohibiam Iswary first came to Parkijuli Christian Hospital in northern India in 1993, right after graduating from medical school. The hospital was on the brink of closing then and for several years after, but Iswary stayed, committed to providing healthcare to people in this isolated region. It has, he says, “been a little bit tough sometimes.” Iswary could make more money as a surgeon at a private hospital, and his family would be more comfortable in a larger town. But, like most of the physicians at GHM’s partner hospitals, he feels called to serve in this place. Still financially fragile, Parkijuli is virtually the only medical facility for a population of about 100,000 people. In 2020, a refurbished laparoscopic tower has arrived to replace their broken equipment, allowing them to resume important laparoscopic surgery at Parkijuli. This service provides some revenue for the hospital and, even more importantly, offers people hope for healing. That is the hope that sustains Dr. Iswary.
