The grim alternative to modern medicine. This practice
of purging the souls of mental patients still carries on today as well as
other horrific practices that are claimed to 'cure' many diseases.
Checking for high blood pressure to help prevent
strokes and heart attacks is surely better than being doused with icy cold
water in a Hindu temple. |
Why
Siloam's medical ministry in India must continue!
Dear
Friends,
India may well be a nuclear power and have an expanding economy but with
over a billion souls to feed and care for, the task is enormous. But,
about 260 million people still fall below the poverty line and more than
350 million are illiterate.
Small wonder it is then, that modern medicine is only accessible to the
more affluent and well educated.
Last summer, I was taken by one of our doctors to a town in south India
where the mentally ill are brought for 'alternative' medical treatment.
The patients are usually brought by relatives, some patients I saw in
chains to prevent them from escaping or harming others. The treatment
consisted of purging the body with cold water to 'wash demons from the
soul.' This practice has continued for centuries and many prefer this
kind of 'treatment' because they are ignorant about modern medicine.
For the last 30 years Siloam has funded medical centres and clinics all
over south India where people have been able to come and consult a properly
qualified MBBS doctor and receive sound medical advice and treatment.
So that the patients will value the service they receive, we make a nominal
charge of 20 Rupees but if a sick child needs treating urgently and the
mother is without money, we are able to show practical compassion.
Our subsidised clinics currently cost us £1,500.00 a month to support.
The small income we receive from the patients unfortunately does not cover
the cost of renting the premises nor is it sufficient to pay our doctors
or other medical staff's salaries.
This is why I am writing to you, asking for your help. Although we may
moan when we want to see a doctor urgently and are told that we will have
to wait a number of days for an appointment, just imagine what it must
be like for a mother with a sick child in south India to be denied the
opportunity of seeing a qualified doctor simply because there is just
not enough money left in this month's house-keeping. Over the years Siloam
has saved the lives of thousands of people by providing this practical
Christian outreach to the less fortunate. But, this support has only been
possible because people like you have cared and provided medical assistance
to those in India who were least able to afford it.
Our hospital is open 24 hours a day and is regularly used by mothers with
sick children and workers who because of the lack of safety facilities,
often come with industrial injuries. We are able to undertake a full examination
of blood, urine and stool as well as give advice and treatment for diabetes,
high blood pressure and numerous other complaints. Because of the constant
dust and dirt blown about, bacteria multiplies rapidly causing all kinds
of health problems. In July last year after my field visit, I was ill
for over a month with a recurring stomach complaint which required a number
of visits to my local hospital and GP. What then must it be like for poor
ordinary folk on low incomes who have to choose whether to spend their
meagre wages on food or a visit to a private doctor or wait for hours
in a government hospital. By funding medical centres like the Gilead hospital,
Siloam provides not only a refuge for the sick but it also represents
a lighthouse of hope where the Christian Gospel can be shown in a practical
way, offering basic medical help at a nominal subsidised price which even
the poorest of the poor can access.
A gift of £5.00 will often cover the cost of consultation and treatment.
Our dispensary on site provides simple but effective medication making
it possible to bring affordable healthcare to a family in great financial
need.
All our doctors are fully qualified, some indeed have been trained abroad
so they are well versed in all the latest treatments available to a GP.
Because of our in-house facilities such as x-ray and specimen examination,
a result is often obtained far quicker than we would expect in the UK!
It costs around £200.00 to fund the salaries of nurses, lab technicians
and other medical staff, Siloam has to provide reasonable modest remuneration.
A doctor's salary is around £300.00 per month.
But, this is why I need your help to assist Siloam to continue to sponsor
project: 051. I have told you only about the Gilead hospital but we have
others in different parts of south India and we are constantly being asked
if we can open more in out-of-station districts where there may be no
government hospital for over 50 miles.
Your gift of £10.00 or £5.00 could have a lifesaving effect. Just think
how they would thank you for making it possible for them to benefit from
modern medicine rather than submit to some of the alternative 'therapies'
promoted by their less educated friends and neighbours.
I do hope you will respond and make it possible for Siloam to continue
or even expand this outreach. Your gift could just make that possible.
Yours sincerely
Richard Norton Director-Siloam UK
P.S. The best way for you to decide how much to donate this month, is
to just consider what you would say to a mother with a sick child who
has no money to treat a life threatening illness, that may only cost you
a small personal sacrifice to treat in a Siloam medical centre.
Make
a donation to this project
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