News about the Christian Hospital Diptipur

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2006

• December
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DECEMBER 2006: DIPTIPUR UPDATE

On 24th November, the Eastern Regional Board of the Church of North India (CNI) in Orissa - led by the Bishop of Cuttack and the Secretary of the CNI from Kolkatta - discussed Sanjeebit's modernisation plan for Diptipur.

Please pray for further meetings as they are arranged. The success of these meetings will mean that Diptipur will receive help and support from the larger hospitals and also have more support from the church leaders in the area. This is such a step forward, and I can barely grasp the significance of what is happening there. Thank goodness for email contact to keep up to date!

Dr Rajnish Samal's father is critically ill and the family are feeling the strain trying to care for him. Please pray for them all.

Aileen Hagen

NOVEMBER 2006: DIPTIPUR UPDATE

First, however, some news closer to home is that my 'on-off' visit to Orissa is now 'off' for the rest of this year. I had intended going to Orissa in November/December but, having developed back trouble, it seems wise to investigate that first.

I was reading that 'when God closes one door, he opens another' - so I'm looking forward to the next one opening. Hopefully, this will be during the next cool season in India (from October 2007 to February 2008). This will give me some time to do some forward planning - and for the staff situation in Diptipur to stabilise.

In Diptipur, Dr Rajnish Samal has taken his father, Sudhir, from Vellore Hospital to Cuttack, Orissa - a journey of some 1,000 miles. Sudhir had not responded to the chemotherapy treatment and the scans were the same as they had been three months ago. Consequently, doctors at Vellore advised that Sudhir be taken home for supportive care. He is growing weaker each day.

Rajnish is still on leave to support his parents but it is easier for him to have day-to-day reports from Diptipur Hospital now that he is only some 250 miles away. One piece of good news from the hospital is that a female doctor has now joined the staff there.

In addition, our 'man on the ground' is doing an important work in improving the hospital's infrastructure - mainly through discussions with Christian leaders in Cuttack to develop spiritual support and to appoint more doctors. Dr Sanjeebit Jachuck is closely involved in this aspect of the work in Diptipur. Although he is based in the UK, he spends six months of each year in Orissa and Vellore, developing rural health schemes. After visiting Diptipur Hospital a year ago, God gave him an amazing vision for the hospital. His determination to fulfil that vision is, in itself, an inspiration.

Finally, our family is setting up a trust fund to support the work in Diptipur Hospital. Everything seems to be falling into place and we are excited at the prospect of God's blessings on this work in the future.

Please continue to support us in prayer for:

• Sudhir Kumar Samal and his family - for healing and God's peace.
• The doctors who are 'holding the fort' at Diptipur.
• Dr Jachuck, as he recovers from a bout of fever and in his negotiations for the on-going work at Diptipur.
• The work in setting up the trust fund.

Aileen Hagen

OCTOBER 2006: DIPTIPUR UPDATE

She writes: "We are completing our 15 days here tomorrow and plan to return on Friday, 1st September. It has been raining day and night for the past week - except on Nua Khai. We are supposed to drive back on Friday and we hope the road will be open.

"You might remember Nua Khai. It is a holiday to celebrate and give thanks for the new crop of rice. It is celebrated heartily in this area and also Ganesh puja was the day before, on Sunday.

"From Monday evening, we have been having a lot of emergencies. One child with intestinal obstruction came in too late and could not be saved. We have had a number of admissions of others with fever, diarrhoea and other complaints - all coming late because they cannot interrupt the holiday to come to hospital! We even had a child who ate so much on Nua Khai that he choked and aspirated rice pudding into his lungs. We struggled for half a day but we could not save him.

"An old man came with a wound full of maggots. He came so late, saying that no one in the family was willing to bring him to hospital.

"We had two deliveries, both with the unborn baby in distress. One of the mothers also was having fits, due to eclampsia. They both just made it on time for an emergency C Section.

"We are grateful that both mother and baby in the two cases are fine and recovering. There were a quite a few really sick patients and Deeptiman James was glad that Dr Henry was here at this time.

"Deeptiman is doing a great job here, but now he has to be the only doctor when we are not here - and that is hard. He gets night calls almost every night and then has to also attend rounds and the outpatient clinic, as well as all deliveries and procedures and so on. It is a lot for one person - especially for a young doctor. We praise God for sending Deeptiman to Diptipur."

Aileen Hagen