DIBRUGARH, Oct 20 � St Luke�s Hospital, Chabua, one of the oldest charitable medical institutes in upper Assam on Saturday organised a special function to begin their decade-long �journey towards the centenary celebration of medical services� on the institute premises.
The 50-bed charitable rural-based Christian hospital, some 26 km from here, had its beginning in 1923 in the undivided Lakhimpur district, comprising today�s Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. The hospital began medical services in upper Assam through the Christian missionaries to cater to the health needs of the poor and needy people of Chabua and its nearby villages and tea gardens.
Helen Slawson, a nurse from London was sent by Bishop Packenham Walsh to Chabua in 1923 to begin the medical works.
Saturday�s ceremony was attended by local MP Rameshwar Teli, educationist PK Gogoi of Chabua town, local gaonburha L Baruah and several other distinguished personalities from the town. Pradeep Kawah, the administrator of the medical institute, in his keynote address elaborated the struggle and success stories of the hospital during the last 91 years.
The hospital management has decided to organise a series of programmes during its decade-long journey towards the centenary which will be celebrated in October 2023, he said.
The hospital is now administered by the North East Frontier Regional Board of Health Services, a registered body of Diocese of North East India, Church of North India, having its headquarters in Shillong. The hospital primarily caters to services in general medicine, surgery and gynaecology.
�Though we are pioneers in this health service, we are struggling to keep up with the present trend of nursing homes. Nevertheless, we are still maintaining the spirit of charity services,� Kawah said.
