Health Programmes of the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal

The founders of the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal had the vision of an hospital owned by the institution. Started with an 4 beded hospital in an rented room, the MAM was able to increase the number of beds constantly and to construct the buildings also. After four decades the vision mentioned above has been fulfilled, such a building has been build and is also owned by the institution. This Hospital, the Sane Guruji Health Centre is an well equipped modern hospital, which is able to provide all types of medical treatment to the patients. There is an modern Operation Theatre with laparoscopy facilities, a X-Ray unit, a unit for common paraclinical laboratory, E.C.G. and sonography. Opthalmic Unit and E.N.T. are also available but by consultant doctors while the the main subjects like abdominal surgery and traumatology, medicine, gynaecology and obestrics, paedriatic and prae-born are provided by doctors working in Sane Guruji Health Centre itself. In average 20 - 25% of all consultation / medical treatment is provided free of charge to the economic poor class of Indian Society. The two ways of treatment in the hospital, ayurvedic and allopatic are combined.

A main problems in developing countries like India is a high growth rate of population. More people always means more need for jobs, schools and hospitals, more need for food and drinking water. All the efforts of governmental and non-governmental organisations of building up an adequate infrastructure, to secure minimal standard of living for the poor are counterbalanced by this growth rate of the population.

With the object of containing the danger of population explosion MAM started in 1961 a Family Planning Unit at Hadapsar - years before Govermental authorities realized the importance of this kind of work. The staff of this Unit not only tries to persuade the people by telling them about the advantages for the entire Nation, but persuade them by showing personal advantages of a small family. For example the effect of ... All the necessary services itself, can be provided by the institution owned Sane Guruji hospital, which has facilities of sterilisation for men (vasectomy) and women (tubectomy). Workers of the MAM are visiting the villages in the surrounded area constantly for contacting and motivating these people.

As an part of Indian Culture Maharashtra Arogya Mandal was interested in teaching and spreading old Ayurveda Medicine. To do so an College of Ayurved medicine was started in 1990. The number of 40 student in the first year has been increased to 60 in the following years. After four and a half years of instruction and passing final exams the students will get the Ayurveda medical degree (B.A.M.S.). Then these students have to do an practical training lasting one year, divided in working half in an urban half in an rural hospital. After that, they usualy work one year under the supervision of an experienced doctor. These combination of practical and intellectual work enables the graduates to work in the Health Service Field as motivated and qualified doctors afterwards.

The college offers a wide variety of courses including anatomy, histology, pharmacy (including the knowledge of botanic and generation of drugs). This gives students a strong basic knowledge for their later working live. Beside of their aim of educating students at an high level, the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal fulfill their objective to promote an rural social and health development improvement. Just think about the working hours of only one doctor in life, and than think about the hundreds of doctors leaving the Ayurveda college within the next one or two decades - one cannot estimate the benefits of this program.

To provide enough and a good quality of Ayurveda medicine to the Sane Guruji Health Centre and other Care Units, the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal started a Pharmacy Unit at Hadapsar. At present up to 150 medicines are manufactured and sold intern. Organised as a nonprofit one, the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal is not interested to sell these products outside. The total turnover of the unit is 80000 Rupies per month and stabilise the financial situation of the institution because of reasonable rate of return. Moreover it enables the medical college students a practical training.

Back to Maharashtra Arogya Mandal Homepage