The Hospital with a Big Heart – 16th May 2017
…helped into being by the hearts of many – May 2017
Dr Julia Phythian-Adams, a GP with a particular interest in holistic healthcare, chaired a conversation with Dr Partap Midha and Sister Sujatha Rathi from the Global Hospital & Research Centre (GHRC) and Sister Jayanti, who is European Director of the Brahma Kumaris, a global spiritual organisation that teaches meditation based on Raja Yoga philosophy.
The GHRC receives regular financial support from the Janki Foundation. JF shares with GHRC its belief in the importance of compassion and kindness for maintaining well-being and preventing illness
Dr Midha and Sister Sujata have been involved with the hospital since its inception. Its mission is to provide world-class comprehensive healthcare services with a human touch, and regardless of the economic or social background of patients. The building itself is constructed around a tree, creating ‘the energy of love, not fear’.
The medical profession can tend to focus on one disease, even one organ, rather than looking at the whole person, Dr Midha said. But for recovery and sustained health, the need for patients to change their lifestyle is often paramount. One of the ways GHRC encourages this is through five-day programmes looking at how diseases can be prevented through diet and exercise. Whilst modern medicine can be essential in treating disease, attention to diet, stress management, and meditation can benefit most patients. Additionally, GHRC has a Wellness Department offering a variety of complementary practices such as Ayurveda, yoga, dietetics, fitness and spiritual counselling.
From left, Sujatha Rathi, Dr Pratap Midha and Sister Jayanti introduced by Dr Julia Phythian-Adams on behalf of the Janki Foundation
To watch this conversation please click here
Values in healthcare: a spiritual approach (VIHASA)
Sr Sujatha leads a fitness demonstration to the audience’s delight and completed it with the chanting of OM.
There is also a highly successful outreach programme, begun by Dr Vinay Laxmi who sadly passed away two years ago. She looked after the workers who were building the hospital and later began visiting villages and aiding those who lived in remote mountain areas. Most of the villagers had never before seen a hospital, let alone been a patient. The focus is on basic treatment as well as preventive healthcare and promoting good health. In this way, GHRC has become ‘a hospital without walls’.
GHRC also has a School of Nursing which, alongside the formal curriculum, trains its students in discovering and nurturing their own value system, basing their learning on ‘Values in Healthcare: a spiritual approach (VIHASA), an experiential learning programme published by JF in London in 2004. The school is helping to create employment among young women (and, increasingly, men) from the local population who are taking diploma, degree and postgraduate courses GHRC has created.
Sister Jayanti’s Address
Sister Jayanti shared a few minutes of reflection and conveyed greetings from Dadi Janki after whom the Foundation is named.
“We are a spiritual university,” she said. “The intention of the founder, Brahma Baba was to bring spirituality into every sphere of life. It started with a small group studying these things in a united India and then in 1950 they moved from Pakistan to Mount Abu and we have been there ever since. Now the university spans over 130 countries which indicates that these ideas are relevant as people come to practice these ideas. These ideas are not divorced from life. In fact spirituality is life itself (soul and body working together). Over the years we have developed different wings for areas of life and endeavour so that people from these can take the teachings and apply them in their life.
If we think about what is happening in the world it is a crisis of values as people have moved from the inner world to the outer world and the extremes of materialism. We can see values are missing and this creates a lot of suffering and sorrow…..we can all see this…so to bring spirituality back to the individuals and professions is the need of our time. We feel the difference and others notice this difference. The biggest advertisement is word of mouth. People see this difference and ask what is happening.
These are simple ideas focused on three aspects. Knowing the self..who am I…with the understanding of how all the different parts of me work together so that I learn to be at peace with myself. If I can be at peace with myself then I can learn to be at peace with you. When I am peaceful then I can be an instrument for peace at work and at home……then can you imagine what is possible? It is possible to create peace in the world. We started with a vision that it is possible to create a world of love, peace and truth…..
We see two forces working together now… the forces of darkness….but equally the ascending energy and uplifting force….. we have heard the scientific evidence for the transformation of heart disease…so things are happening quietly and they are gathering traction and acceleration. We are going to come to a point of critical mass where these are accepted…..I hope tonight has given hope which expresses that it is possible to have a life of hope and health.”
David Kilowsky captivated the audience, both present and on- line, with his original music.