ESTABLISHING CHRONIC SUSTAINABLE CARE AT THE RURAL HOMOEOPATHIC HOSPITAL, PALGHAR: INAUGURATION OF THE PROF. RAM KAPSE SENIOR CITIZEN CENTRE

Dr Anand Kapse, M.D.(Hom.), MBA (Educational Management)
Director, Rural Homoeopathic Hospital, Palghar

Background

Over the last 2 decades, the Rural Homoeopathic Hospital (RHH) has been focussed on developing expertise in acute interventional management through Homoeopathy. Our faculty members, ably supported by dedicated medical officers and postgraduate students, have done exceptional work in the field of acute and emergency management in specialities including medicine, intensive care unit treatment, paediatrics and neonatology, psychiatry, and gynaecology.

However, the use of a Homoeopathic in-patient department (IPD) for management of chronic pathologies has not received as much attention. The institute therefore decided to explore this aspect of Homoeopathy by promoting a model of IPD-based chronic care as well as custodial care through Homoeopathy. Senior citizens, who need these services in view of increasing longevity and changes in family structures due to pressures of urbanisation and mobility for jobs, became the obvious focus of this project.

Vision of a Chronic Care Centre at RHH, Palghar

The RHH had started a geriatric outpatient department 2 years prior to explore the scope of Homoeopathy in geriatrics, which promises to be an increasing need of the community. Dr Nikunj Jani, guided by Dr Anoop Nigwekar, had already teamed up and were supervising Homoeopathic care to a geriatric care centre near Palghar. The MLD Trust had started a geriatric care assistant training Certificate course in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences; the first batch of three students were ready to take on additional responsibilities. A number of senior citizen centres were visited to study the model of care on offer. This allowed us to fine-tune our model of holistic care through Homoeopathy. Thus, it was the logical next step to bring a team of expert Homoeopaths, clinical psychologists, rehabilitation therapists, along with experienced nurses, rugnasahayaks, qualified geriatric care assistants, and medical social workers to serve these patients under one roof through offering holistic care.

Starting the Prof. Ram Kapse Senior Citizen Care Centre was the next step in this direction. This became possible because of the strong desire expressed by Smt. Smita Kapse. The result was a unique 14-bedded Senior Citizen Care Centre Specially designed for patients with neuropsychiatric conditions like dementia, Alzheimer disease, Parkinsonism, stroke, paralysis, as well as for conditions like fractures, terminal illness, and cancer.

Our Palghar Rotary dialysis centre has completed 20,000 dialysis cycles over the last 4 years. This has proved a boon to patients from the Palghar, Dahanu, and Vikramgadh talukas and reduced their hardships. A chance visit by Shri H K Savlaji to the Hospital opened up the possibilities of adding to the 8 machines already in existence. We have increased the capacity to 10 dialysis machines, which will enable us to complete more than 700 dialysis cycles every month.

Vision of greening the RHH, Palghar

MLDT has been making efforts for greening the campus at Palghar. We are the first hospital in Palghar to have a sewage treatment plant as a mark of our environment consciousness. We have planted over 300 trees of different varieties. Our CSR efforts have promised the opportunity to gradually switch over our energy sources to solar and make full use of our terraces for installing solar plants. Aker Powergas came forward and offered to set up a 60 KVA solar plant, which will save us Rs. 1 lakh in electricity bills. With their help, we have fitted over 100 superfans, which consume 40% lesser energy than conventional fans. The use of LED tubes and bulbs has reduced energy consumption further. In the meantime, Tata Capital, one of our well-wishers, offered to fund an additional 78 KVA plant and a 5000-litre capacity solar water heater for use in the hospital and the hostel. This will help us in keeping the cost of our services low and reducing our carbon footprint.

Realizing the Vision

We inaugurated the following facilities on Sunday, the 30^th September 2018 at the RHH, Palghar

• Ram Kapse Geriatric Care Centre
• Dialysis Machines donated by Shri H K Savla
• Solar Power plant donated by Aker Powergas Private Ltd.
• ENT Department donated by well-wishers from Bahrain
• Launch of JISH – The Journal of Integrated Standardized Homoeopathy, an e-journal published by MLDMHI

Hon. Shri Ram Naik, Governor, Uttar Pradesh was the Chief Guest while Shri Vishnu Savara, Minister, Tribal Development, GOM, presided over the function. Shri Rajendra Gavit, Member of Parliament, Palghar; Dr Dhanaji Bagal, Dean, Faculty of Homoeopathy, MUHS, Nashik; and Shri. Uttam Pimple, President, Palghar Nagar Parishad were the Guests of Honour. The function was attended by Shri Raichandbhai Shah, President, Community Care Committee, Palghar; Rtn. Mayur Kashikar, President, Rotary Club of Palghar; Shri Jagannathrao Patil, ex-Minister Excise, GOM; Prof Ashok Pradhan, ex Vice chancellor, YCMOU; and Shri Wamanrao Sathe, founder director of The Kalyan Janata Sahakari bank, among other dignitaries.

Hon Shri Ram Naikji praised the efforts of the MLDT team in creating health care facilities in the rural area. He appreciated RHH for becoming first NABH-accredited Homoeopathic Hospital in Maharashtra. Shri Rajendra Gavitji expressed a desire that RHH should get empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and announced financial help of Rs 10 lac.

Progress of our efforts

The Prof Ram Kapse Geriatric centre has received a good response and promises to help us learn Homoeopathic management of advanced pathologies. We are committed to explore the role of Homoeopathy in rehabilitation and curative and palliative care through this centre. For patients with chronic psychiatric illnesses, we already have our Anukampa ward, which serves patients with diseases like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and dementia.

The packages offered are stay for a week for initiation of Homoeopathic treatment in chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart diseases, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, spondylosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, thyroid disorders, and infertility. Stays lasting a month and more are available for rehabilitation in cases like paralysis and fractures ; longer stays are offered for irreversible conditions like dementia and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

All the patients on dialysis have been receiving Homoeopathic treatment, with significant benefits. This has opened a new chapter for exploring the role of Homoeopathy in patients with end stage renal disease.

Our grateful thanks and appeal

All this has been possible because of various projects submitted for funding support under corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme. MLDT has earned the trust of corporates because of its honesty and transparency. Guide Star India, a third-party agency, undertakes certification programme validates non-profit organisations based on their legal and financial compliance, as well as on their level of public disclosure of information. Non-profits that are found to be compliant after thorough due diligence by experts are certified for one year based on the level of compliance. Our institute has successfully obtained a Gold Certificate from them for three consecutive years.

The hospital needs continued patronage from its donors, well-wishers, and alumni to keep the cost of services affordable and offer subsidised care for the poor and needy. Each past student is requested to support the institute through a yearly contribution for the Trinity of Care through Homoeopathy.