Welcome to
Kachhwa Christian Hospital
History
Kachhwa Bazar is a small rural town located in the district of Mirzapur in Easter Uttar Pradesh.
(1897 - 1929)
Kachhwa Christian Hospital was established in the year 1897 by Dr. Robert Ashton a doctor with London Missionary Society. Dr. Ashton and his wife were stationed in Benares. He would conduct regular tent medical camps in different locations. One of the places where he set up his tent was at the village of Kachhwa about 20 miles from Benares. Kachwa with a population of around three and a half thousand people, in a well-populated area was of some local importance because of the market held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Dr. Ashton writes in his diary of the camp dispensary:
"Our work is chiefly done between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm, which is the time fixed when all and sundry may come to the tent to be treated for their ills. And come they do; a motley crowd, of all sorts and castes, and of every condition and complaint. Most come walking; a few of the very ill are carried by the willing shoulders of their friends, bedding and all, for the light wood and string native bedstead slung by a rope on a bamboo makes an excellent stretcher. Maybe a father trudges in several weary miles carrying his sick child on his back. Occasionally a richer man will be brought in on a native ekka or small springless cart, not much to his own advantage though, unless his malady is such as to be eased by rough jolting.”
The London Missionary Society decided that Kachhwa was a good place to set up a mission hospital and a site was purchased. Due to money problems progress was slow and the following year a small hut was built to use as a hospital. In 1895 further monetary problems led to the abandonment of the project and Robert, his wife Carrie and their small daughter were recalled to England.
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Robert spent two years in England trying to raise money to build the hospital at Kachhwa. Once he was able to raise sufficient money he came back to India.
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An old indigo factory at Kachhwa was for sale at a bargain price and was immediately bought. Renovations and repairs started. 'Two high factory chimneys were knocked down and that became the consulting rooms and operating rooms previously were huge iron tanks in which indigo was boiled”. Thus the hospital had humble beginnings.
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Dr. Ashton served faithful until the late 1920s and was awarded Silver and gold Kaiser-i-Hind medals, the highest civilian honour in the country then by the government.
(1929 - 1972)
In 1929 after the retirement of Dr. Ashton the mission was handed over to Bible Churchmen’s missionary society. Dr. Neville Everard a BCMS doctor took up the leadership of the hospital. Again the hospital grew under his leadership to be one of the best and the most famous hospital for surgeries between the cities of Kolkata and Patna. With 120 – 150 beds the hospital had a nursing school that trained many local girls in nursing services. Even today the older generation remember Everard ‘Sahib’ fondly for his surgical skills and compassionate heart reflecting the love of Jesus Christ.
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(1972 – 2002)
In the late 1960s with the introduction of new regulations on visas, most foreign healthcare workers had to go back to their respective countries. This meant hundreds of mission hospitals in the country were closed down. It was at this time that the idea of a federation of mission hospitals came into being. In 1969, the Emmanuel Hospital Association was formed and registered. Over the years, EHA has grown to be a fellowship of Christian health professionals, committed to bringing wholeness of life to the marginalized members of the varied communities.
Kachhwa Christian Hospital became a part of EHA and continued to function treating the poor and marginalised. Soon over the years, different types of challenges came up making it difficult to carry on the work. By the year 2002 the hospital was making a significant loss and was at the verge of shutting down when Dr. Raju Abraham and his wife Mrs. Catherine Abraham stepped in and decided to take up the challenge of running the hospital. Dr. Raju Abraham was a neuro-physician who had returned from England and was working with EHA based at Landour Community Hospital.
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After Dr. Raju came, the hospital was downsized and initially the small medical team worked round the clock. Soon community work was started and various projects were initiated to uplift the poor and marginalised. Clinical Services, Community Health and Development, Education and Leadership development aimed at the holistic transformation of an individual became the focus.
This was in keeping with the WHO definition of health which focused on physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.
Over a period of time the hospital which was on the verge of closure was revived and started seeing a steady flow of patients. Through the community development initiatives hundreds of poor were helped with free services including cataract surgeries, hand pumps for potable water, toilets, etc.
Core Team​​
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Managing Director
Mr. Shankar Ramachandran
​​Mr. Shankar Ramachandran serves as the Managing Director and gives over all leadership. Originally from Kerala, after his post graduate studies in business administration, he worked with couple of corporate organisations in Chennai and Delhi before making a shift into non-profits. With a heart for the poor and marginalised in the rural north, he moved with his family to Kachhwa in the year 2014.
Community Health
& Development Director
Dr. George Varghese
Dr. George serves as the Director of Community Health and Development department at KCH. After his BDS, he pursued Masters in public health followed by fellowship in palliative medicine. He and his wife Dr. Stelcy (Dental Surgeon) were instrumental in setting up the dental department at Kachhwa Christian Hospital. This is the second stint of Dr. George at KCH before which he was heading another unit of EHA at Uttraula.
Nursing-in-charge​​
Sis. Harshalata Nalvancy
Sis. Harshalata serves as the nursing-in-charge at KCH. She is a senior nurse with many years of experience at different units of EHA. Apart from her administrative responsibilities she contributes her time as a nurse anaesthetist and is adept at handling obstetrics and manages the OT meticulously.
Hospital Chaplain
Mr. Sujay Deep
Sujay Deep serves as the Chaplain at the hospital and is responsible for the spiritual health of the staff working in the hospital. He hails from Orissa and has been in Kachhwa from 1995. For those patients seeking emotional healing he also does counselling and encourages them to not lose hope in the midst of adverse circumstances.
Consultant Ophthalmologist
Dr. Sajini Mary Abraham
Dr. Sajini serves as our consultant Ophthalmologist. After her MBBS from CMC Ludhiana she worked at Herbertpur Christian Hospital (a unit of Emmanuel Hospital Association). Later she did her MS in Ophthalmology from CMC Vellore post which she has been working at Kachhwa Christian Hospital.
Consultant Gynaecologist
Dr. Angel Gnanaprema
Dr. Angel is our Consultant Gynaecologist. After her MBBS from Tirunelveli Medical College she pursued her DGO in obstetrics from CMC Vellore. Post that she served in one of the EHA hospitals in Alipur during which she got admission to pursue MS Gynaecology in CMC Vellore. After her MS she has been posted at Kachhwa Christian Hospital and heads our Gynaecology and obstetrics department.
Consultant Head
& Neck Surgical Oncology
Dr. Honeysh George
Dr. Honeysh serves as our Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon. After his BDS from CMC Ludhiana he served at Kachhwa Christian Hospital for a period of two years. Post which he pursued his PG in Oral Maxillo-facial surgery from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. Then he pursued a fellowship from Health Care Global – Mumbai in Head and neck surgical oncology. Then after a brief stint at Tata Memorial Centre at Varanasi he joined Kachhwa Christian Hospital.
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Sujith John
Dr. Sujith serves as our Consultant Paediatrician. After his MBBS from Trivandrum Medical College and a brief stint in India he went on to pursue his post graduate studies abroad from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child health, UK. After working in England and obtaining his FRCPCH from the UK he returned to India and worked at different hospitals in Kerala. Before joining Kachhwa Christian Hospital he was working at Kerala Institue of Medical Sciences as a Consultant Paediatrician. Dr. Sujith heads the paediatrics department at KCH.
Medical Team
The rest of the medical team consists of Dr. Stelcy (Dental Surgeon), Dr. Susanth George (Medical Officer), Dr. Aneetta (Medical Officer), Dr. Joel (Medical Officer), Dr. John Bunyan (Medical Officer), Dr. Benison P Baby (Medical Officer).
What Our Patients Say
