AIMS - the art and science of healing.

This article contains personal testimonies of doctors and other professionals who work at AIMS (recorded in 1999) – to give you a good picture of their qualifications, their sacrifice and commitment, the kind of challenges they face and the nature of their inspiration and compassion.

Dr. Prem Nair- Medical Director of AIMS:

“ Amma’s main aim has been to take care of the poor, and AIMS is essentially a charitable hospital. Usually the poor top do not even seek specialized care because it is too expensive. They just have a very short life span and die at home.

“There is virtually no specialized, tertiary medical care in Kerala anyway, and going outside the state is out of question for them. Our patient intake has reflected this situation, with fifty percent being patients who don’t pay or pay very little. The rest pay very low rates.

“The staff, the place, the work environment, and the sequence of events everyday of the week, are constant reminders of Ammas hand in whatever takes place. “If you look at the letters the patients write, they are actually amazed at the type of care the staff give, apart from the medical care. They have a feeling that its not a commercial establishment, they are full of gratitude. They never had any hope and now they have a new life.

Dedicated people from all over the world are helping us to realize the ideals that Amma stands for-service, selfless service to humanity, and I think it is that love that created this beautiful facility. "

Dr. Prem was the professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, and directed the Gastroenterology program at the Good Samaritan hospital in Los Angeles. In 1994 Doctor Prem quit his career in the United States and moved to India with his family to serve Amma. Today he continues serving the society as a doctor and medical director of AIMS.

Ron Gottsegen- Administrative Director of AIMS

“Amma used to tell us how sad she was hearing the stories of devotees who had been on the waiting list on the only hospital in South India that did heart procedures. They had to wait for seven years before they could get any treatment. They used to come to Amma for help. Sometimes they died while waiting. This is what I think inspired Amma to start AIMS.

We began with several specialties, the primary one being the heart institute, because of the high proportion of heart disease in Kerela and Amma’s special concern in this area. “ The doctors are undoubtedly the most qualified that this country has to offer, they have been attracted by the hospitals charitable nature and the standard of our facilities.

They come from all over the world as well as form India. Many of them have become upset with the trends they saw in the commercialization of medicine. The hospital is a modern facility with an outstanding infrastructure. What has impressed me most in the potential we have for developmental programs with top western institutions. Already a pediatric Cardiology and Surgical cooperative program has begun with a renowned Boston Childrens hospital

Ron Gottsegen was a successful businessman who founded an electronics company in the U.S. He was deeply inspired by Amma's philanthrophic works and her example and gave up his flourishing business and his luxurious lifestyle to serve her .

Dr. Haridas - Chief Cardiologist and chairman of the Department of Cardiology

" The mission of AIMS is to provide state-of-the-art medical care to underprivileged people.

Healing has two aspects. One is the science of healing and the other is the art of healing. The art of healing involves love, affection and compassion. Half the job is done if the patient feels warm, comfortable and trusting. The concept of holistic healing depends on combining the art of healing with the science of healing. This is Amma’s message and her teaching.

“ I have been in corporate hospitals and private practice, but the kind of mental peace I experience here is hard to believe. I enjoy working more and more, and am looking after a great many more patients.

“ I do about twenty-five percent of the procedures in the Cath Lab, and my assistants do the rest. We are currently doing about twenty-one procedures a day ( this number was reported in 1999. The numbers have increased a lot today), which is two thirds more than the normal rate in corporate hospitals. Every evening before I leave, usually around ten pm, I go over all of the one hundred files on the outpatients.

“ There are a lot of people who do not have access to contemporary care. It is one of the greatest challenges for AIMS to cater to very large volumes of people, especially the very poor, and to stay abreast with modern technology and to find the necessary resources.

“ A lot of research will come out of this hospital in terms of the best methods for taking care of this particular kind of patient population. We feel that AIMS has a major role to play in changing trends in this part of the country and in raising awareness in health care.”

Dr. Haridas came to AIMS from a well-known hospital in Southern India. He is acknowledged as one of the leading cardiologists in India.

Dr. Krishnakumar- Pediatric Cardiologist

" I couldn't come to terms with the terrible situation in India. I had a job in Delhi, but we were not very busy. It was a profit-making concern, so it catered only to a tiny fraction of the people needing help.

Then Dr. Haridas called me and I visited AIMS. I got a sense of the philosophy and felt that it might be satisfying. Actually, the experience of working in AIMS has been much more profound than I expected. I'm seeing so many patients - over one thousand children came in the first three months, and there was such a variety of cases. What has been really satisfying is that we are able to help all socioeconomic classes. Even the poor are benefitting, and that is deeply satisfying."

" I don't think medicine can be separated from society. I'm personally very opposed to the degree of comercialization that has crept into India in a situation where most people don't have any health insurance. I'm not a spokesman for AIMS. This is just my personal opinion."

Dr. Krishnakumar is of South Indian origin, but he has spent most of his life in Delhi and the United States. He trained at a well-known Boston Children's Hospital and worked in Masachusetts, but he always felt he should return to India, where the need was so much greater compared to the U.S. In the U.S. there are 2,000 pedatric cardiologists for 200 million people. In India, with a population of 900 million, there are only eight.

to be continued...

AIMS News from today

Detect Heart Attack Potential with 64 Slice Multi-Detector Cardiac CT Scan

In most cases, a Heart Attack is the first and last sign of a fatal cardiac disease.

Amrita’s state-of-the-art, 64 slice multi-detector CT scanner provides high-resolution three-dimensional images of the heart and major blood vessels. In just a few seconds the scanner can detect existing blockages in the blood vessels and potential blocks even before it is manifest.

For patients who have undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) the Cardiac CT is an excellent tool for verification of the graft patency.
The whole procedure takes just a few seconds (without any need for admission!) as in a conventional coronary angiogram.

An overwhelming experience of over 1,80,000 procedures at the Heart Institute in just 7 years, a truly world-class infrastructure and the best professional expertise, YOU CAN TRUST YOUR HEART WITH AMRITA.

For other latest updates on AIMS

15 May, 2006 - AIMS has a new "mobile medical unit" which was blessed today by Mata Amritanandamayi. The unit will bring the state-of-the-art medical care of AIMS to rural areas via its satellite. The unit, which is as large as a city bus, contains facilities for Echocardiography, Ultrasonography, X-ray , ECG, as well as a Pathology Lab.

Direct Relief International, a U.S.-based NGO that provides aid to strengthen in-country health efforts around the world, sponsored the manufacturing of the unit. The satellite-technology is provided by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

AIMS doctors have already used the vehicle for a three-week-long medical camp in Karaikudy, Tamil Nadu. It will soon be used to tend to residents of the tsunami-affected areas of Kerala and the tribal areas of Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki on a weekly basis.

Outreach program of AIMS - latest update