Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital
Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital is a charitable, multi-bed hospital located in the city of Dharampur in the Valsad district of Gujarat, India. The hospital currently operates under the administration of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, a non-governmental organisation which runs the hospital and other charitable activities. Established in 2003, it provides medical care at nominal rates or completely free of cost. Hospital records show that over 125,000 patients were treated in 2016, and over 1 million patients have been treated since the inception of the hospital in 2004.
History and organization
Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital was established on 14 April 2003 by Rakesh Jhaveri, the founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur. The hospital was set-up in two distinct phases - during the first phase of development, only allopathic and homeopathic dispensaries were operational. By the end of the second phase, which was completed in July 2004, the hospital was fully operational and was offering complete medical services.Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre
A new 250-bed multispeciality hospital was inaugurated on 4 Aug 2022 by Narendra Modi, PM of India in Dharampur.Facilities and current operations
The main campus of Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital is located at Mohangad, in the city of Dharampur. The hospital's neonatal intensive care unit handles over 500 cases annually. As of Aug 2022, the hospital had a total staff of 320 persons, including clinical and non-clinical staff members.The hospital functions as a charitable hospital and offers all of its services at highly subsidised or free rates. Under the hospital's policy, all patients who are unable to afford treatments or who are uninsured, are provided with medical care free of charge.
The main campus of Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital is located at Mohangad, in the city of Dharampur. The hospital's neonatal intensive care unit handles over 500 cases annually. As of Aug 2022, the hospital had a total staff of 320 persons, including clinical and non-clinical staff members.
The hospital functions as a charitable hospital and offers all of its services at highly subsidised or free rates. Under the hospital's policy, all patients who are unable to afford treatments or who are uninsured, are provided with medical care free of charge.
SRH offers a wide range of services through its departments of obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and neonatology, urology, pathology, dermatology, prosthetics and orthotics, physiotherapy, and dentistry. The hospital also has two general operating theatres and a 24-hour emergency operating theatre. From the period of July 2004 to March 2015, over 5,300 recorded surgeries have been completed at Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital.
The hospital also offers services such as a 24-hour emergency service and emergency operating theatre, a 24-hour cardiac ambulance service, a blood storage unit, and a fully equipped medical store.
Some of the hospital's other services include:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Shrimad Rajchandra District Early Intervention Centre
- Shrimad Rajchandra Viklang Centre
- Shrimad Rajchandra Child Malnutrition Treatment Centre
- Shrimad Rajchandra Health Education Centre for Adolescents
- Shrimad Rajchandra Mobile Dental Clinic
- Shrimad Rajchandra Medical Camps
Private-public partnerships with the Government of India
The hospital continues to receive support from the government through multiple private-public partnerships.In December 2006, SRH was registered under the Chiranjeevi Scheme of the Government of Gujarat, under which the government supports hospitals that provide free medical services for pregnant women. In 2009, the Government of Gujarat introduced the Bal Sakha Scheme under which infants born to families below the poverty line are treated free of cost. SRH has been a participating hospital in this scheme since its inception. SRH is also participant in the Government of Gujarat's Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan. Through the SSA, students with physical disabilities are referred to hospitals for further consultations and treatment. Several students from the areas of Valsad, Surat, and Surendranagar, have been referred through the SSA to Shrimad Rajchandra Viking Centre, one of the hospital's departments.
Under the Government of India's ADIP, SRH receives a grant-in-aid for supplying artificial limbs and appliances for the rehabilitation of physically challenged persons.
SRH was also one of the first hospitals that was authorised to treat patients under the Government of India's Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna. The RSBY scheme, launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, provides health insurance coverage for underprivileged families living below the poverty line. Under this scheme, admitted patients receive treatment and medicines up to Rs. 30,000 free of charge.
The hospital has also signed a series of Memorandum of Understanding agreements with the Government of Gujarat.
In September 2015, SRH signed an MoU with the Government of Gujarat which requires SRH to provide tertiary-level healthcare services to mothers referred to or approaching the hospital. A similar MoU was signed in 2014, which mandates SRH to provide tertiary-level care for newborn babies and infants referred to the hospital. Another MoU signed in December 2015 mandates SRH's Shrimad Rajchandra District Early Intervention Centre to train staff of other early intervention centres.
In January 2024, a medical and cultural exchange between Stanford Medicine, Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre and the Government of Gujarat was held.
Awards and recognition
In 2011, Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital was privileged to be granted the ‘First Referral Unit’ by the Government of Gujarat. This prestigious honour is granted to hospitals that are fully equipped to provide emergency obstetric care, new-born care, emergency care of sick children etc. with round-the-clock services of a gynaecologist and paediatrician.In April 2013, SRH was presented with an aware for ‘Excellence in Real Health Care’ at the Medscape India National Awards. The award was in recognition of the significant contribution of SRH in field of rural healthcare services.
In December 2015, the Government of Gujarat recognised SRH's District Early Intervention Centre as the first model centre. The Government and SRH also signed an MoU which mandates SRH to train staff of other early invention centres.