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OCTOBER 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThe hospital was closed on 6 October 2009 and Dr Anil Henry had the difficult job of dealing with staff and the final closure.Equipment has been moved to Dr Anil's hospital at Mungeli for safe keeping and the Eastern Regional Board of Health Services will decide where it can be used. We still have not given up hope of the appointment of a new doctor and leader in the future. Dr Samson Das was still encouraging me to visit India in November but just as I was booking my flights there was news of more trouble with bombs being thrown into the relief camps in Kandhmal district. Advice now is that it is not safe for foreigners and not to book flights at the present time. We believe this hospital is in God's Hands and His Plan, and even though the present situation is hard to understand, our faith does not waver and we trust Him for the future. See our Prayer Page. Aileen Hagen SEPTEMBER 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThe September Eye Camp held 21-25 September resulted in 115 patients having eye operations. But this Eye Camp may be the last because the hospital will close on 6 October unless a doctor is found.Aileen Hagen AUGUST 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThe hospital may have to close in the near future because the search for a doctor has not yet been successful. But there are still preparations in hand for another Eye Camp in September.Aileen Hagen JULY 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEDr Samson Das, the local Bishop, is chairman of the regional health board and is working with others trying to find suitable doctors from other mission hospitals. Dr and Mrs Henry are still recovering form the health problems and have been unable to help iun this search. On the weekend of July 25th and 26th, Bishop Das is visiting Diptipur to talk with Dr Ipsita and the hospital staff about the present situation with the possibility that the hospital may have to close if a doctor cannot be found. Dr Ipsita Dip, who has kept the work of the hospital going since the communal violence in Orissa last August, is about to leave to prepare for her post-graduate training. The recruitment of a doctor is now vital.The present situation in the State of Orissa is much more encouraging than before. Recently Bishop Das has also visited Kandhmal district regarding the reconstruction of houses and churches following the riots and persecution. He writes "The Christians in Kandhmal are settling down and are living in peace and are returning to their own villages and are re-establishing themselves. In some villages Church services are taking place. We are in constant touch with Government Authorities and local leaders thereby helping them legally, financially, physically, spiritually and morally". He continues, "Now at present Government is very much open-minded and supportive to the minorities in our State. God has performed miracles in the recent assembly elections in our country. The Hindu fundamentalists have lost their hold in our country. They are now being shaken and are routed. All praise and thanks to God Almighty who performs great mighty deeds beyond our comprehension. At present we need to concentrate on rehabilitation work - building of houses and churches for these people. For this purpose we need your support and prayer. Kindly uphold us in your prayers so that after persecution there will be revival and harvest in the land of Orissa". Aileen Hagen JUNE 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEYour prayers are urgently needed for Dr and Mrs Henry as they are both patients in the Christian Medical Hospital, Vellore in South India. Mrs Nancy Henry had a serious fall from a train as she was alighting at her home station of Tilda. Apart from breaking 5 ribs and lacerating her spleen, she also fractured vertebrae which affected the movement of her lower limbs. The journey down to Vellore is about 1,500 miles. She is now recovering from an 8 and a half hour operation to stabilize the spine. Dr Henry suffered a stroke a day or so before Mrs Nancy Henry had her operation and they are being nursed in a two bedded ward.Dr Ipsita Dip is missing the help and encouragement of Dr and Mrs Henry at Diptipur. I understand that the patient numbers are increasing and also the deliveries in the maternity dept. That is good news. The weather is very hot over the whole of the state and there have been some deaths due to the heat. The rains should break in about a month. Dr and Mrs Henry's son, also a doctor, is with his parents in Vellore at present and will discuss Diptipur by email with me (and with his mother if she feels up to it), so we need not feel entirely cut off. Please pray earnestly for the situation. The past year has not been easy. God has it in His Hands and will show us the way to go in due time. In the meantime, let us be thankful that the hospital is there to treat the sick and needy in such a rural and isolated area, praying God's blessing on staff and patients. Aileen Hagen MAY 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThe news of the appointment of a medical couple for Diptipur Hospital at the of last month's report was very encouraging, but we are now disappointed as they have decided to go to work in a Delhi hospital where the wife can get further training for her post-graduate studies. As Dr and Mrs Henry say, we shall go on praying for the doctors of God's choice and they ask us to be fervent in our prayers too. Also, we need to uphold Dr Ipsita Dip in the amazing work she is doing at Diptipur.The Security Guards of the Central Forces (Nepali men) have been withdrawn from Diptipur village, and there is now regular police protection. Let us pray that it is adequate and satisfactory. There are some positive things to report including promise of further eye camps supported by Second Sight, an increasing number of outpatients, some maternity work, some inpatients with encouraging reports of their treatment, and therefore some generated income. Medical and supplies bills as well as staff wages are a struggle to pay on time at the moment. The weather at present is very hot so there will be no eye camps held for a few month. There are still sporadic outbursts of violence in the Khandmal district, but generally things are under control. The planned Pastors' and Wives' Retreat Programme took place successfully April 21-23 at Gopalpur-on-Sea (with one of the speakers having been Heather Payne the daughter of Rev and Mrs Payne). A second retreat for 100 pastors and wives is being tentatively planned for October and this will be on a lower budget and hopefully held in Diptipur. And finally, Dr Samson Das is recovering from his accident, when he broke his nose and right wrist and lost some teeth. News also comes from Dr Rajnish Samal from time to time and he and his family are well, living and working at Tilda Hospital. He saw Dr Das 10 days after the accident and reported good recovery. Please pray for all the people and situations mentioned here. I am hoping that a visit to India will be possible later in the year. Aileen Hagen APRIL 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThe second eye camp of 2009 was held on March 1st to 14th. Dr Jacob Koshy (Second Sight) was again the visiting surgeon and a further 200+ patients were treated. How wonderful that at least 450 villagers from around Diptipur will be rejoicing that once they were blind and now they can see. The day-to-day work goes on led by Dr Ipsita Dip and her faithful staff and encouraged by the visits of Dr and Mrs V K Henry.The situation in the Kandhmal district of Orissa is still sensitive. There are still several thousands in the relief camps and those Christians who risk going home to their villages are often threatened with 'reconversion' if they want to stay. Also outside the relief camps, the government allocation of food is stopped in spite of the fact that there is no work available. The news of the possible appointment of a medical couple to the staff of Diptipur is a wonderful encouragement. More details next month. Aileen Hagen MARCH 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEDuring March the Security Guards of the Central Forces (Nepali men) were withdrawn, and now the hospital is relying upon the regular police protection for the village of Diptipur.Dr V K Henry is still trying to recruit some more medical staff. But there are positive things happening. Dr Henry did some more general surgery during March and there was another Eye Camp. Patients are coming, there are a few deliveries of babies, some inpatients and some income so that those staff who need advance on salary can receive from this small income. But there is an urgent need to find money for outstanding medicine and supply bills. Also money is not yet to hand to pay the staff salaries for February and March.
Dr Jacob Koshy, Second Sight surgeon, has decided to return to his Medical College. However, he hopes to come sometimes to Diptipur as a volunteer to conduct camps. The hospital is also continuing to receive backing by Dr Lucy Mathen and Second Sight of the UK.
FEBRUARY 2009: EYE CAMPS RESUMEDr Jacob Koshy, Second Sight Surgeon, arrived in Diptipur on the evening of 9 January and started the surgeries the next morning. The Hospital's eye team had done extensive screening in the villages and there was an overwhelming response by these poor villagers who were prompt to come to the hospital on the dates given, even on a day which was a local festival for them.During the camp he completed (along with assistance of the Hospital's eye team) 234 eye surgeries. Each day Dr Jacob had an average of 21 cases of needy persons for operation and the results were truly wonderful as we could see from the happiness of these patients. One lady told a journalist from the UK who visited during the camp , "Now I can begin to live again!". Another man got up and danced about shouting, "I can see, I can see" over and over again. Most of the little old ladies gave a quiet grin to express their happiness. But there were many patients that could not be fit into the schedule and so the Hospital would like to arrange another camp before it gets too hot. In addition to the eye surgery, Dr V K Henry was able to perform some general surgery as well during the same period. Dr Ipsita Dip had arranged for these patients to come for a general surgery camp. She is faithful to the hospital and showed much courage during the time of persecution in near-by Padampur and Sohella. The journalist from the UK was Jenny Taylor (a journalist) who visited Orissa in January 2009 and reported on her experiences in her Blog. Among others things she describes how the Christian Hospital Diptipur was going ahead with holding an Eye Camp while armed police were on guard.
You can click to see some photos of the Eye Camp held in January 2009.
JANUARY 2009: DIPTIPUR UPDATEThank you to everyone who is faithful in prayer for the situation in Orissa state and in Diptipur. The following news has just arrived so it is a picture of the situation as it is at present.After having revived this hospital located in a very poor and neglected area of rural Orissa, and then experiencing so many blessings from God giving clear signals that we were headed in the correct direction, there have been a series of setbacks in the past few months connected with the flare-up of communal violence and the subsequent loss of our leadership. The police have decided to stay camping on the hospital compound until the end of December. Dr Ipsita Dip has been carrying on her outpatient services and also admits patients who are willing. However, there is no rush for admission. It is not only that the hospital was closed for admissions for two months, but it is also the harvest season when agricultural work takes priority over health needs. This is also the time of year when villagers are very low on money. Just now Dr Ipsita has gone to Kolkata to sit for entrance exams for her post graduate studies. But arrangements were made for another doctor to cover the hospital during her absence. Some bright light comes from Dr Lucy Mathen of Second Sight who is willing to support an eye camp and supply a doctor for it in the new year. Many blind persons are found in the villages and we hope and pray that our staff can bring them in good numbers to achieve the objectives to bring sight to the curable blind. One Christian surgeon who worked with Dr V K Henry in Bissamcuttack is now the Director of a mission hospital not far from Diptipur. He has agreed to help by providing his services for a surgical camp in January. Dr V K Henry has completed two terms as Chairman of ERBHS and so steps down. The new chairman is Dr Samson Das who shares our concern for Diptipur as well as all ERBHS hospitals. Stop Press: We have since heard that Dr Ipsita Dip has arrived safely back from Kolkata where she sat entrance exams for her post-graduate studies. There is some good news that another CMAI hospital has donated 1 month's salary of Rs 100,000 for the Diptipur staff. The search goes on for a senior doctor. Aileen Hagen on to 2008 |
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