Anava Hospital: A ‘humble’ dream walking the noble path

Eastern Mirror Desk

Dimapur, Oct. 26: Gently nestled in the pristine mountains of Mokokchung district is the Anava Hospital—or rather, the project of a dream that is the Anava Hospital.

An upcoming project of the Anava Welfare Society of Mokokchung, which is a part of the Anava Foundation of Switzerland, the hospital—upon completion—aims to provide compassionate and quality healthcare in this remote part of the country.

Anava in Hebrew means gentleness, humility, or modesty. And those are the principles the Anava Hospital being built at Settsu village in Mokokchung district is hoping to be known for.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, one of the members of Anava Welfare Society, Dr. Sungti Jamir said that this ‘special hospital’ will cater to secondary-level of care that are not available in the region which includes ‘surgical to paediatrics medicine, gynaecology and others.’

Jamir, a surgeon himself, believes that the range of specialised medical care presently available is very limited and in need of support, even though the government has been involved in delivering medical facilities in various towns and villages.

“My wife and I had a deep insight into the needs of the community and were challenged to start a medical centre with services in the gynaecological, obstetrical, surgical and general medicine sector at a community level and then gradually expand or upgrade depending on the needs and benefits of the people,” Jamir shared.

Jamir’s wife Nadia is also a member of the foundation, and a specialist gynaecologist.

According to a report by United Nations (UN), 75% of healthcare infrastructures including medical specialists and doctors are concentrated in urban India where only 27% of the population live creating a poor scenario of medical issues in rural India. On the other hand, around 716 million people that make up 72% of remaining Indian population stay in rural areas and are hit by chronic lack of primary health care facilities. In contrast, private hospitals and quality healthcare are only limited to urban areas.

The Anava Hospital seeks to offer basic facilities of a medical health centre with four to six specialisations, Jamir informed. When asked where the doctors will be recruited/sought from, Jamir said there will be in-house doctors and consultants who are mostly friends and from the network of doctors he is part of. “There will not be any commitment from other doctors until the building is up,” he said.

The hospital will focus more on surgical care and will also have an intensive care unit (ICU) ‘though it will not be suitable for cardiac patients at the moment’, Jamir informed.

The ICU will prove to be a relief to many and benefit not only the district but also those from eastern Nagaland comprising five districts where there is not even a single hospital with ICU facility.

“Logistically, the location is good because it touches a few districts,” Jamir informed saying that in future the market for medical healthcare in Mokokchung and the neighbouring areas will be studied.

He informed that the hospital plan includes two operation theatres, two delivery rooms, a gynaecological and obstetrical ward with 15-20 beds, medicine and surgery ward with 20-25 beds, an out-patient department (OPD) with four examination rooms, an intervention room, offices, a lobby, meeting hall, a laboratory, an X-ray room, toilets, nursing stations and waiting rooms as well as storage spaces. A pharmacy, registration and payment area will belong to the OPD. A canteen and staff-quarters will also be built separately, he added.

Building a robust state-of-the-art healthcare facility naturally involves large amount of funds. When asked about the funds for the project, Jamir informed that all funding is from the Anava Foundation though they are locally raising funds through friends and family. “The state government or banks have not been approached and the intent to do so is not at hand at the moment,” he said maintaining that if a charity set-up like the Anava Hospital becomes a business venture then the investment will not go to the patients.

It was informed that the architects for the hospital are volunteers from the Anava Foundation in Switzerland and are presently overseeing the foundation work.

“We are planning to have an earthquake proof hospital which will be able to take at least 7 on the richter scale,” informed Jamir. The project will take another 16-18 months to complete ‘if funds and conditions are in favour,’ he added.