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Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital

Update on Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital

Located in Assam in the northeastern tip of India, Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital (BMCH) offers a wide array of medical services to their patients.

The hospital has 70 patient beds and 10 ICU beds where a daily average of 30 to 40 inpatients are cared for. The staff typically see 70 to 80 outpatients a day, and BMCH surgeons perform 4 to 7 surgeries each day.

The hospital staff are thrilled for their newly renovated ICU, but they need some new equipment: a ventilator, an ultrasound machine, a digital X-ray machine, a digital radiography system, and a new operating table. If you feel led to donate toward these needs, click the button below.

Blessings and Multiplication

A 30-year-old man named Vivaan was brought in to Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital (BMCH) after suffering with a fever for two weeks. He did not respond to the doctors’ initial treatments and as his condition worsened, he slipped into a coma. The doctors needed an MRI of Vivaan, but as they do not have the equipment, they sent him to a more advanced facility 45 minutes away.

The brain scan showed severe hydrocephalus—his cerebrospinal fluid was collecting in his brain and not draining out as it should. He needed neurosurgery, so the BMCH staff recommended another hospial for treatment since they do not perform this type of surgery. But Vivaan’s relatives had no money to go to another hospital, and they said they trusted the BMCH doctors to do their best.

So the staff went to search for the instruments required for this procedure, and to their surprise they had them. Vivaan was prepped for surgery, and the doctors put in a ventricular drain to remove excess fluid and reduce the compression on his brain. When they tested the fluid, it was found to be positive for TB. Vivaan slowly began responding to the doctors’ treatment and gradually came out of the coma.

The nurses who had tirelessly cared for Vivaan around the clock began teaching his family how to look after him once he was able to go home. All of the staff rejoiced when Vivaan recovered enough to be able to talk. In thinking about his case, they were reminded of the little boy who shared his lunch and how God blessed and multiplied it. In the same way, God took the instruments the hospital staff had, along with the skills of the doctors and nurses, and multiplied them for an amazing result.

BMCH Must Upgrade Nursing School

The Indian Nursing Council has decreed that all General Nursing and Midwifery Schools should upgrade to Colleges of Nursing by 2021. This involves not only changes in the academic requirements of each school, but also significant facility upgrades.

All but one of EHA’s seven nursing schools have secured outside funding to help them upgrade their facilities. Only Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital (BMCH) has been unable to raise the money to construct a new building that meets the requirements. They have sought help from the government and other agencies and departments to no avail.

The BMCH nursing school has been in existence since 1953, faithfully instructing a new class of 20 students each year. It is one of the oldest schools of nursing in northeast India, and their region depends on them to train quality nurses who will serve in government hospitals, private hospitals, and medical colleges.

The facility requirement upgrades are steep—a 20,000 sq. ft. building that includes a 2,400 sq. ft. faculty room, a 2,400 sq. ft. library with 3,000 books, and seven different laboratories. Burrows Memorial has worked with an architect to draw up plans for the building, and the estimate is $725,000.

We encourage you to make a donation to the new BMCH College of Nursing building. Checks can be mailed to EHA USA, 215 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Ste. 102, Arlington Heights, IL 60004, or click here to donate online. Any amount will help!

Hope and Health Return to Milana

Milana came to the outpatient department at BMCH just as it was closing. She looked truly miserable, with her distended abdomen, swollen feet, and a complete lack of hope in her eyes.

Dr. Singh, the doctor in charge, thought she might be in the final stages of chronic liver disease. When he talked to Milana, he realized the truth. She had undergone surgery to remove her gallbladder, and her abdomen had begun to swell immediately afterwards. When she went back to her surgeon, he told her she had chronic liver disease and referred her elsewhere.

In reality, the surgeon had nicked her bile duct during surgery, and her abdomen was filled with bile. Dr. Singh was concerned that he did not have the expertise for such a delicate operation, but Milana and her family refused to go elsewhere.

Up all night before the surgery, Dr. Singh wrestled with what he was facing and then committed everything into God’s hands and asked Him to use him as His instrument to save this woman.

During the operation they removed 15 liters of bile from Milana’s abdomen. Drains were placed to ensure continuous elimination. However, the exact site of the bile leak could not be determined. The next two weeks were stressful for both doctor and patient as liquid continued to pour out through the drains. Gradually, she began to improve and was able to eat. Whenever Dr. Singh saw Milana, he told her that the hospital staff were doing their best but that that it was God who was healing her.

After Milana spent three weeks in the hospital, her drains were removed and she was discharged. Tears pouring down her face, Milana explained that she had given up hope of ever getting better. She was incredibly thankful for the loving care of Dr. Singh and the Burrows Memorial staff. Milana had seen the healing power of God and was now interested in listening to and learning to understand His Word.

Visions

Arjit was rushed into the casualty department at Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital after his family feared he had consumed pesticide. He had already been taken to another facility and had his stomach pumped. Afterwards, he had trouble breathing and soon lost consciousness. At Burrows Memorial, Arjit’s vital statistics were poor, so he was intubated. Since Burrows Memorial doesn’t have a ventilator, they recommended that the family take him to a more advanced facility, but they were unwilling because they had little faith that he would recover.

So the faithful team at Burrows Memorial manually ventilated him for 24 hours and he was given medications that helped him return to consciousness. Soon he was awake and telling his story—he had been a heavy drinker and had lost his life savings by gambling. The hospital psychiatrist counseled Arjit, but the next day he became agitated and claimed that someone was sitting on the foot of his bed, which the staff attributed to visual hallucinations due to alcohol withdrawl. The next day he was moved out of the casualty department to the hospital ward. At this point, Arjit was told about God and that he was alive only because of His healing touch. He has since become a confident witness to the healing power and presence of God.

For the Lack of a Ventilator

Saloni was brought into the emergency department of EHA’s Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital (BMCH) complaining of severe abdominal pain. The 22-year-old had been suffering for four days.

EHA’s doctors found that she was in severe sepsis (a condition where chemicals that are released in the bloodstream to fight infection cause inflammation and potential organ failure). Her blood pressure was very low and her white blood cell count was 700 (normal is between 4,000-11,000). Her x-rays showed she had a perforated intestine.

She needed an immediate operation, so the doctors explained to Saloni’s family that she had a 50 percent chance of dying with the surgery, but a 100 percent chance without. They operated and removed a section of her small intestine that had multiple holes. They kept her in the ICU and administered high doses of inotrope medicine to keep her blood pressure up. She needed a ventilator to support her breathing, so since BMCH does not have one, they urged her family to move her to a different facility rather than trust to manually ventilating her. A lack of finances caused her family to request that they do their best caring for Saloni at BMCH. Manual ventilation requires a person to squeeze a bag attached to a mask to force-feed air into the patient’s lungs in order to inflate them. It must be kept up around the clock in order for a person to receive sufficient oxygen.

Despite the best efforts of BMCH’s medical staff and after a hard fight to overcome her infection, Salomi succumbed to respiratory fatigue on the third day. It pained the staff to see a young life lost despite the best efforts of their team because of the lack of a ventilator. They are praying for God’s provision of this piece of equipment which costs between 700,000-800,000 rupees ($10,000-$12,000).

Baby Boy Beats the Odds

Ranbir, a one-month-old baby boy, was struggling to breathe, so his parents brought him in to the Primary Health Center in the state of Manipur. The doctors there told the parents that he was seriously ill and would not survive the night. In the morning, he was still alive, so they decided to bring him to Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital in Assam.

After EHA’s doctors examined the baby, they explained to the parents that he was hypoglycemic and was experiencing seizures and intermittent stoppage of breathing. Even though none of BMCH’s doctors are pediatricians, they agreed to treat Ranbir as best they could, since the parents were unwilling and financially unable to take him elsewhere. After three near respiratory arrests, numerous seizures, and a lot of manual ventilating, the hospital staff told the parents that Ranbir likely would not survive the night and asked to intubate him, but they were unwilling. By morning, everyone was surprised to see that the baby was still fighting to for his life. The staff convinced the parents that since Ranbir was fighting so hard, maybe God wanted him to live, and that they should take him to the nearest medical college for further treatment.

Two weeks later, the staff had almost forgotten about Ranbir, and most had assumed he hadn’t survived, when his uncle came in to BCMH with another patient. He reported that the baby was alive and thriving at home, feeding well and moving normally. Hospital staff were overjoyed at this miracle and thankful that Ranbir had made it despite the odds he was up against.

About Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital

Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital was started in 1935 by Dr. Crozier to serve the people of Assam. Located in the backward Cachar district, the hospital has focused on being a center for learning and research as well as on conducting minimally invasive surgery. Despite a lack of support and facilities in the beginning, Dr. Crozier and other pioneering missionaries were not deterred from keeping this hospital operating. Twelve years after it was opened, unfriendly neighbors burned it down. Still they continued on and began to rebuild, desiring to have a great impact on the surrounding area. In 2000, BMCH joined the Emmanuel Hospital Association and has been expanding ever since.

Currently the hospital has 70 beds and is a modern surgical and medical facility. They offer services in surgery, general medicine, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. BMCH is one of the top-ranking hospitals in India for non-invasive surgeries including endoscopic, laparoscopic, and microscopic. Recently they have begun offering mental health services as well. Their fetal monitor was one of the first installed in all of Northeast India. Desiring to continue to develop medical training, they run a nursing school, a training program for laboratory technicians, and continuing medical education courses for students and doctors. Each of these programs allows the medical staff to keep abreast of rapidly advancing medical developments.

Going out into the community and outlying areas, they run diagnostic and surgical camps to care for patients and help determine who might need hospital care. They bring health education materials to educate the people. On the hospital grounds, they also have the Bethel English School, which offers a good education at a nominal cost for staff children and others in the community.  They support and work with Alipur Baptist Church as well. Doctors, nurses, and students begin the day at the hospital by singing to and praying for patients in the wards. It is a wonderful way to care for those whom they serve so faithfully.