CMC Vellore

Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, known simply as "CMC Vellore", is one of the largest and most reputed medical centres in India. This century old Christian institution was founded by Ida S. Scudder, and is located in the city of Vellore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India.

I find it difficult to write about such a huge institution which started off as a single bed hospital, currently the Heritage Centre, which now has slightly over 2500 beds and around 121 specialized units/departments and I guess more are on the way as mankind faces new and strange health disorders. This perhaps is a very good example for "Big things start small".

The Heritage Centre:

When you enter the hospital, you will find the Heritage Centre to your left which in my opinion is a must see for everyone. I remarked that the current Director is a Bengali, to which the man sitting in the centre (must be the person in-charge) was more than happy to tell me that most of the patients/visitors were Bengalis and that he would show me a couple of exclusive videos of 'Ida's message' after his tea break. I wasn't able to pay a visit later that day to check out those videos.

The Hospital:

Enter the hospital's premises and you will see yourself in a maze of some old and some relatively new buildings and bustling with patients and visitors. After staying there for three days, this is what I can recollect. The one building that stands out is the huge Centenary Centre for Women and Children, moving on, we have the out patient block, some random buildings, physiotherapy centre, A-wing, a building donated by well wishers which is used as a teaching centre, nursing school and accommodation and a residential block for the hospital's doctors I guess. Patients come here in the hope of getting cured and from what I hear, most of them do get cured and are happy with the results. For the poor, the hospital is so generous that it takes care of certain special cases who cannot afford that kind of treatment, and treats them for free or at a subsidized rate.

This huge campus, according to Ida Scudder, is built on plain land surrounded by hillocks. She saw this piece of land from what is now known as the 'College Hill'. When I made a conscious effort to observe what Ida Scudder was referring to, I did notice the hillocks surrounding the campus. The Vellore fort which is a few kilometers away, is proof enough that the geographical terrain there, was a vantage point.

I think one of the days that I stayed there must've been a full moon day and the College Hill was more beautiful than ever. For me, it is one of those frustrating times that I didn't have a good camera at that picture perfect moment.

The Doctors:

Doctors are considered to be gods, in that they give you a second chance to lead your life. Well, I wouldn't go that far and call them gods because they are human beings just like us, but with special skills to save lives. What I would call them, is angels; angels minus the wings and the halo on top of their head. Everywhere in the campus, I was able to see these angels who were doing their bit, serving mankind (Well some literally were angels, if you know what I mean ;) ). The best part about these doctors is the way they interacted with the patients or their relatives in a friendly, composed and mature manner, all at the same time. Being the second best medical institution in India(AIIMS, Delhi is the first), I hope that this hospital produces more of these wonderful doctors, which seems to be the need of the hour.

I had been observing one doctor in particular who must've been over 80 years old. At that age, when most of the people are dependent on others, this doctor was cheerful and enthusiastic in what he did. He was going on rounds and attending to his patients, walking the campus and climbing up the ramps with such energy, you would have to see it for yourself to believe it. I first noticed him in the A-wing cafeteria when he was finicky about the way coffee should be served in two paper cups instead of one. The lady in the cafeteria said that he can have an extra cup for more money in a somewhat frustrated tone. He was not very happy with her tone but was willing to pay the extra sum to get a perfectly served coffee.

Blood Bank:

Everyday, several people donate blood at the blood bank in the hospital's premises. Some donating for their loved ones and a few others were volunteers. The doctors who were conducting the blood sample test and collecting blood were faced with a whole lot of strange questions like, can my father donate half a unit of blood and can my mother donate the other half so you would have a total of one unit of blood? (A person who was below the recommended 50kg weight) Why can't I donate blood? I look healthy, don't I?

Something that moved me was the helplessness of a lady who must've been in her mid forties, that she could not donate blood, as her hemoglobin count was a few notches lower than the standard and she was informing the same to her husband that the doctor had failed her (Doctor ne hame fail kar diya) with tears in her eyes as she said it. Little did she understand the consequences of collecting blood from her and administering it to the patient. Such desperation to see their loved ones get cured, and it is out of this desperation that they go out of their way to get help from external sources. Now, if these sources are volunteers, well and good. But if the sources expect monetary gain (which is illicit), then they are simply asking for trouble. The hospital has put up a list of people, along with their photographs, who involve in such illicit activities, so that the general public are wary of such circumstances.

It is my sincere request to you who are reading this to donate blood when required. It helps save lives and you will definitely feel good about it.

World Heart Day:

CMC was busy celebrating the world heart day (26th Sep, 2010) and I was there on 24th Sep, 2010 to witness the event. It was an exhibition with stalls which offered free check-ups even before the scheduled day. The stalls were bustling with people who were eager to know if they were 'heart-healthy'. I must say CMC put up quite a show under the supervision of their head of the department - Cardiology. There were some other stalls which offered diet charts and some had diagrams/models of the heart and explained the circulatory system. Most of the content was in Tamil (Greek and Latin to me) and they even took the trouble of putting up a puppet show which was more appealing and informative at the same time, to the smaller age groups.

A-wing cafeteria:

This cafeteria opened at 7 A.M. in the morning and served till 9:00 P.M. in the night. I guess they must be having a tough time serving so many doctors and visitors on a given day. As difficult as it seems, the employees there do it with such ease without breaking a sweat that it leaves you astonished. The other things that leave you astonished are the quality, taste and presentation of the food. They serve the best food, beverages and I can say the best Raagi Puttu I ever had

In a rare and funny incident (it was an emergency), I had to get a raw lemon for a relative of mine as her B.P. was dropping. I dashed past the cafeteria door and to the juice counter where they had lemon in a basket. I took one and was waiting for the lady's acknowledgment. The lady was busy with her work and I simply walked away and gave the lemon to my relative. The honest man in me then walked back to the cafeteria, and since I had the language problem, I asked a nurse there to translate for me. To validate, I asked the nurse, "Do you know English and Tamil?". The nurse was impatient and did not listen to the 'Tamil' part and was quite offended and replied with an "Aaaawwww, why wouldn't I know English". Anyways, I asked her to tell the lady at the counter that I took a lemon earlier and that I would like to pay for it (now I realize how trifling it is). The nurse translated for me and the lady at the counter was kind enough to say "Venda", which means 'no need' or 'not necessary' in Tamil.

In Short:

CMC Vellore, the second best medical college in India is synonymous with the word 'service'. This is one of the best hospitals I have been to. I am sure they will keep up all this good work. More of such hospitals would be required in the near future as human population grows at an alarming rate and so do the diseases and syndromes. I hope their Chittoor centre opens up sooner than anticipated.

P.S. This post is dedicated to my uncle - Professor, Doctor, Friend and Philosopher.