Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital
EHA’s Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital began in the 1930s as a health clinic run by missionary nurses. In 1953, a nurse from the UK added a dispensary with a single room containing 5 beds, and there she delivered many babies as a midwife. In 1960, the first doctor joined the clinic. Today they have 75 beds, 9 doctors, and 56 nurses.
Located in the far southeast corner of Uttar Pradesh, they are close enough to get patients from four other states: Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. In the course of a year, their outpatient department serves 70,000 patients, and approximately 4,000 are admitted to the inpatient department. Their OB/GYN department is kept busy delivering over 500 babies each year.
Most of the hospital buildings are quite old, leaky, and in need of renovation or replacement. When it rains heavily, their buildings flood. Their equipment is also outdated, making diagnosis and medical care more difficult. They hope to build a new outpatient department and more staff housing, and purchase ophthalmology and endoscopy equipment.
If you would like to contribute to help Jiwan Jyoti meet these needs, click on the button on the top right corner of the page.
Making All the Difference
Deepak is one of nine children in his family, so at age 20 he moved to Chennai to continue his studies and work in a bakery to help support his family. One night while riding his bike home after work, he was hit by a small truck and seriously injured.
His father brought Deepak home and took him to several hospitals, but all they were told was that he had a spinal cord injury and would remain paralyzed for life.
Then Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital community health staff heard about Deepak’s situation and went to see him. The staff taught his family how to care for him and helped Deepak build strength to sit up. They explained that he was qualified to apply for disability benefits from the government and could receive things like an adult tricycle and a disability pension. They encouraged Deepak that there was still much he could do with his life.
With the help of JJCH staff, Deepak applied for a disability certificate and is receiving benefits. He is now filled with hope that he can still pursue training in computer work and help support his family. The community health staff made all the difference in Deepak’s life.
Healthy Animals, Healthy People
EHA’s community projects serve villagers’ many needs. At Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital, community staff have begun training farmers in better agricultural techniques and even conducting animal health camps. They have held 12 camps in 12 different villages, reaching 212 farmers and caring for 1,105 cows.
The staff taught the farmers about planting kitchen gardens and making compost pits. The distribution of different vegetable and herb seeds gave the gardeners a good start. As these farmers put this new training to work, their families and neighbors will have better food options and improved nutrition for their families, which will in turn give their bodies better health. This is just one more way that EHA provides holistic care for the myriad people around them.
Finding Physical Relief and Spiritual Renewal
Dinanath came to EHA’s Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital suffering from spinal cord compression that was preventing him from moving his limbs. At 70 years old, he had been bedridden for a year and was also diagnosed with diabetes, hypothyroidism, pneumonia, bedsores, and a urinary tract infection (UTI). The staff dove in and began to treat his issues and pray for his spiritual condition. They shared the love of God with Dinanath and his family.
While his spine could not be treated, his bedsores were healed, his pneumonia and UTI were resolved, his thyroid levels were corrected, and his sugar levels were controlled. During Dinanath’s seven-month stay at the hospital, he and his family were drawn to God and moved by the care and compassion shown to them. Dinanath and his wife and two grown sons grew in faith and have now opened their house for prayer and fellowship.
For the Best of Care, Ventilators Needed
For some of EHA’s patients, the very thought of going to a city for hospital care sends shivers down their spine and causes fear to course through them. EHA staff frequently come across patients who choose to die at home rather than pay hefty hospital bills they cannot afford. This emphasizes the need for EHA’s rural hospitals which provide desperately needed care and a place to find hope and a new lease on life.
If a patient in Sonbhadra District needs emergency or more advanced care, they have to travel three hours to Varanasi, a trip they may or may not survive. EHA’s Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital shines like a beacon in this very backward district of Uttar Pradesh which generally offers deplorable heath care. Jiwan Jyoti sees 75,000 patients each year, treating everything from respiratory issues to snake bites to pesticide poisoning. Each of these conditions requires ventilation, and since Jiwan Jyoti does not have even one ventilator, the nurses must do manual ventilation around-the-clock for several days to save these patients. Being able to purchase a ventilator would free up the staff to care for patients in other ways.
If you would like to give to help Jiwan Jyoti purchase a ventilator, visit the donation page on our website and chose Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital on the drop-down menu. Thank you in advance for any gift you are able to give.
Blood Transfusion Case Makes Progress
Since 2001 Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital has been embroiled in a legal case regarding blood transfusions. The government of India has very inflexible laws regulating blood storage and transfusions, and it has made patient care very difficult at EHA’s rural hospitals. Since there are no blood banks close by, and EHA isn’t allowed to store blood, there is often no way to legally obtain blood for a patient who desperately needs it. Neither family members nor hospital staff are allowed to donate blood to save a patient’s life.
The criminal case of Jiwan Jyoti vs. the State of Uttar Pradesh has picked up in intensity, with two EHA staff thrown in jail and refused bail. They were detained for two weeks due to the corruption in the legal system. But God was at work. He turned the heart of the Public Prosecutor toward EHA, causing him to speak on Jiwan Jyoti’s behalf, requesting the judge to reduce the penalty amount. He also got people in the jail to take special care of their staff. Next, the son of the judge began vomiting blood, and he was rushed to the hospital for treatment. He was cared for, prayed over, and released after a two-day stay. This gave the judge a chance to see the hospital staff in action.
Currently, they are waiting for the police to complete their verification of the case, at which point it will be transferred from the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court to the Session Court, where a trial will begin. The staff at Jiwan Jyoti covet your prayers for a successful resolution to this case.
Seeking and Finding Peace
Sangeeta had an incredibly difficult history of fetal deaths. Her first three pregnancies ended with the death of her baby in the seventh or eighth month. During her fourth pregnancy, she was very nervous, but all her tests at Jiwan Jyoti were normal, and there was no apparent cause for the loss of her first three babies.
At every prenatal check, the staff prayed for her and shared about God’s love with her. During her sixth month, she felt the absence of fetal movement and panicked. Rushing to the hospital, she was examined and the baby was found to be alive and well. She told the staff that during each of her previous pregnancies, she had been traumatized by troubling dreams in which her deceased family members would tell her that none of her children would live. She had experienced one of these dreams the night before. She was desperate for peace and deliverance.
The staff once again spoke about God with Sangeeta, and this time she was ready to accept the Good News. Her miracles began; she went home in total peace, her baby began to move again, and her bad dreams stopped. She attended church filled with joy.
When the time came to deliver her baby, she had a healthy boy who subsequently began to struggle with Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She prayed for the baby and went home, leaving her son in God’s hands. As soon as she reached home, she received a call that the baby’s heart and respiratory rates had returned to normal. Sangeeta’s faith increased and her baby was soon discharged. She is now a faithful follower of God and is happy to share her testimony of His faithfulness with anyone who will listen.
Brought Back to Life—Twice
He fainted at Jiwan Jyoti’s doors. Amit had struggled with bleeding for two years, and despite having the resources to pay for quality care, all he had received was negligence. The EHA staff on duty determined to do everything they could to help him.
At first they tried to give Amit oxygen, but he was so anemic that his blood was unable to carry it in the hemoglobin throughout his body. The next step was a blood transfusion, but during the process, he went into cardiac arrest. After performing CPR and getting his heart restarted, they knew another attack could happen again at any moment. They worked hard to stabilize him, but their worst fear came true when he fell into another cardiac arrest.
The chances of Amit surviving this second attack were minimal. Besides administering the proper treatment, the staff also prayed for his life and health. They knew who the Doctor of Doctors is and that only through His help could they save this man. They were thrilled when they brought him back a second time. But due to the attacks, they had to intubate him. Just six hours after this procedure, he woke up with his natural, healthy color back. The staff were amazed and waited for 24 hours before removing the tube, knowing they had just witnessed a miracle.
The next day Amit was back to normal. He was discharged after one day of observation, and the staff knew they would have to tell his story. Amit’s brother said, “This hospital has something special. People go to other places and they don’t get well like here. Here people really do something for our lives.”
The staff at Jiwan Jyoti say, “Every day we put into practice what we have learned at the university and from our daily work. What we know is that miracles are happening in our days, and if we put our knowledge and skills in God’s hands, He can do more than we ever imagined.”
Standing Up Straight
You’ve probably heard of the condition “knock-knee” deformity. Often times it is seen in children and then outgrown. But severe cases do not improve on their own. Dhirender Kumar’s case was debilitating, as you can see from the photo. He could barely walk and often fell, fracturing his leg bones. He needed orthopedic help but his family was very poor. His father died when he was ten, and his mother was forced to work in several houses as a maidservant in order to feed the family.
Once a visiting evangelist encouraged Dhirender to go to EHA’s Jiwan Jyoti Hospital to seek treatment. He did not have the courage to go because he knew he could not afford treatment. After repeated urging, he came to the hospital and was diagnosed with kidney problems and bony deformity. The surgeons operated on one leg at a time, and he recovered well. At age 20, he could finally walk with straight legs and no support.
He went through a basic tailoring course and the hospital hired him, enabling him to help support his mother for the first time in his life. Things were looking up for Dhirender.
Then another crisis struck. He developed severe weakness in all four limbs and was found to be in several renal failure. Dialysis has bought him some time, but he needs a transplant which will cost 9 Lakhs, the equivalent of $16,500. This shattered all hope for Dhirender since he had never seen more than a thousand rupees ($20) in his life. Hoping to find help, he and his mother went to the capital city of Uttar Pradesh several times and finally met with the Chief Minister. After much paperwork and complications, he was sanctioned one-third of the money, or 3 Lahks. His mother is willing to donate the kidney, but they cannot proceed without further funding. It is cases like this that break the hearts of EHA doctors and nurses. If you would like to contribute to an EHA charity fund that helps patients pay for procedures that are far beyond their reach, go to our donation page and choose the Needy Patient Fund in the drop-down menu. Thank you!
About Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital
Started as a small outpost for heath work by missionaries of Crosslinks, Jiwan Jyoti has been in existence since 1930. Joining EHA in 1976, the hospital has grown from 20 to 100 beds. They serve a large part of the local population of Robersganj, Uttar Pradesh, as well as neighboring states. They seek to provide holistic care focused on the poor and marginalized, most of whom are Hindu. Areas of focus include health care; empowering communities through health, literacy, and development programs; spiritual ministries and leadership development; and capacity building through training programs. Their service priorities include obstetrics and gynecology, general medicine, surgery, eye care, pediatrics, orthopedics, dental care, and physiotherapy. Jiwan Jyoti frequently holds free medical camps in remote rural areas.
One extensive area of service is eye care. In 2008 a three-story eye complex was completed and includes an eye outpatient department, inpatient department, thirty-three beds, and three operating rooms. This improved facility has led to surgeons performing close to 5,000 cataract and other eye surgeries yearly. Both intra-ocular lens surgery and cataract surgery often restore sight to the blind, giving new purpose to those patients and helping them become independent and wage-earning again. Each year they do thousands of eye checkups for school children. They hold eye care camps and provide transportation to and from the site. Much of this eye care is offered free of charge.
Free plastic surgery camps have been organized with the help of Interplast teams from Germany. Patients with cleft palate, cleft lip, and burn contracture have had corrective surgeries done free of cost.