Yesterday's paper said "CMC makes it a first". "Vellore (TN), June 18: In the first ever across the blood group transplantation in the country, a youth here has undergone a "successful" kidney transplant from a donor with a different blood type at Christian Medical College Hospital. The operation was done on April 23 on 21-year-old Anbarasu, whose blood group is "O" positive while that of his donor mother is "A" positive. Both were recovering well, a hospital press release said." Source
This is fantastic to me, because a private, christian, and for the poor medical institution is at the cutting edge of their work. CMC hospital is amongst the top five hospitals in India, i can safely say the top most in the "private funded" minority sector. It has lived up to being Christian, and all christian institutions have a lot to learn about how any Christian Institutions can stand up for christian values in a non Christian world, providing the highest of quality services.
What has caught my attention is the training of Doctors in the hospital. They study for a little over 5 years and practice as an intern for one to three years. And apply to the PG program and there is a continual training program from there on. What is solid in their training program is that the faculty, teaching staff and students are all practicing doctors at the hospital. Any body who is teaching is practicing cutting edge technology and treating some of the most complicated medical cases. What the students get in the classroom, is up to date, cutting edge, in practice knowledge. When not in the classroom the students are practicing their profession with their senior doctors. What the students are also getting is not only just some text book stuff, which was written years ago, but also reflecting and practicing the knowledge in today's situations. This is fantastic to me. Well you might say that this is what happens in the medical world, this is old stuff.
But for me this matters so much because some of the Theological training in India has a lot of catching up to do. Our classroom learning does not reflect and is irrelevant in today's situation. Some of the theological training in India is amongst the finest in the world, but for sure not standing up to the realities of today and not preparing students for the challenges of today's mission field. How many of the teaching faculty are practising church planters, or counsellors, or administrators or principals of educational institutions or world class leaders or revival leaders. How many lecturers, professors and teachers of theological institutions are addressing the practical issues of today - i mean at the cutting edge of today's Indian Church, while they are teaching. How many of them are church planting, leading churches, top Indian evangelists. How many of them have been in the thick of the fire like persecution, revival, national disasters and come back to their classrooms and reflect with their students on these issues. This is my desire for our evangelists training school, the Jharkhand School of evangelism. I would like to see all the teaching faculty be at the top of the profession by practicing and being at the cutting edge of their ministry. CMC hospital is a shinning star and at the top of its league, I have a lot of catching up to do, and probably Theological institutions can learn some lessons from this.
Daniel, Engage India - www.engageindia.in
Ps. Sheila will have her second suture on Tuesday the 23rd and will have to rest for 10 days. After that we are expecting 2 months of Radiation therapy for complete healing. We are still in need of prayer and finances. Thanks for supporting at this time of need.
Daniel Ponraj - Engage India - Visit - www.engageindia.in
