HEALING WITH LOVE
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore

"Yada yada hi dharmasya glaanir bhavati bhaarata/
Abhyudhaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srjaamyaham/
Paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinashaaya cha dushkrutaam/
Dharma sansthapanaarthaaya sambhavaaami yuge yuge//"

"Whenever there is a decay of dharma and rise of adharma, then I embody myself, O Bharata. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of dharma I am born age after age."

These are the words of Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of kurukshetra ages ago but today in the modern context, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba says:

" Love all Serve all "

Apparently the words may seem out of context when placed together but what is apparent is not what is the intent. One has to See Always Inside to understand the import. In the past wickedness was limited to a few individuals and could be eliminated by eliminating them physically which is what the Lord did in his earlier incarnations. But man today has both good and evil within him and were the lord to follow his earlier procedure he would be very lonely. It is for this reason that Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, said that in the present age the wicked would not be destroyed but would be transformed. For affecting this transformation, he uses the most powerful of all weapons
- LOVE.

Bhagawan Baba, in his munificence has presented mankind with three gifts. Of education, health and water. The first: to enable man to earn his livelihood in this world, the second: to enable him not only to earn his livelihood in this world but also sustain him for more sacred work and the third: water, called the elixir of life, for it is the most important of all elements to sustain life.

"Vaidyo narayano harihi" (the doctor is Lord Narayana and Lord Hari) is an aphorism from ancient Indian culture that places a doctor on par with God. In the western system of medicine a man is considered a doctor only after he has taken the "Hippocratic Oath" named after the Greek Physician Hippocrates who is considered the father of modern medicine. As part of this oath is the following line:

"To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - Without Fee And Covenant"

Unfortunately words do not transform themselves into action. Health care is one of the most expensive fields both to learn and to practice. It is a rare doctor who would diagnose an ailment free of cost, let alone treat and cure a malady. As torrents to douse the conflagration of professional prejudices and economic considerations, in which laymen are charred, came the blessing of the Lord in the form of two Temples of Healing. The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of higher medical sciences, Prashantigram, 12 years ago in 1991 and the The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of higher medical sciences, Whitefield in the year 2001. They are the manifestation of Bhagawan Baba's Will that free health care should be provided to the poorest of the poor totally free of cost.

THE PHILOSOPHY:

This is an ancient upanishadic tenet that says, "This body is meant for the service of others". The SSSIHMS embodies this very spirit in its entirety. The hospital is based on the service motive and this alone is the inspiration and its sustenance. Medical care is an issue of both compassion and finance. Two apparently diametrically opposite ends of the circle of life, yet intricately interrelated in the modern paradigm, one emotional and the other rational. Though painted in a different color the past was in no way far removed. "First do no harm" is the primary objective of every true doctor and this is reflected in every moment of the existence of SSSIHMS.

The touch is said to be one of the most powerful ways of communication. Add to this a smile and then an act of understanding…A smile, a reassuring touch, an act of understanding, compassion… all these are not exceptions but the norm in this Temple of healing. Starting with the lowest orderly to the heads of departments, harsh words are a rarity when it comes to serving the patient. It is the opinion and experience of many that nothing can be earned without first losing something. But when one enters the aegis of SSSIHMS, all that one has to lose is oneself. At every step everything is provided to the patient absolutely free of cost with complete redress of all problems - minor or major. The smile of satisfaction of the patient when he is discharged from the hospital, the smile of trust of a child when entering the operation theatres for surgery, the smile of reassurance of the doctor when he treats a patient…and the list goes on.

The undercurrent of the entire hospital, the source of its sustenance is a simple yet powerful emotion - Love. It is the greatest of all weapons and the solution to all maladies. It is the rope that binds different minds to one goal. How else is it possible to run such a mammoth institution - whose foundations are in God's love for Humanity - but through love?

"Na tapaamsi na teerthaanaam na saastraani japanicha/
Samsaara saagarodhaare sajjanam sevanam vina//

Not by penance nor by pilgrimage nor by study of scriptures nor by chanting can one cross the ocean of life. One can achieve it only by serving the poor. This is the ultimate truth as evidenced by the lives of great men. Not only in the field of medicine but in all other walks of life.

THE EDIFICE:

The SSSIHMS in whitefield, Bangalore was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee on the 19th of January 2001. This tertiary care hospital incorporates some of the best technical facilities and provides high quality free medical care and surgical treatment. It is built on 52.26 acres of land donated by the government of Karnataka .

The work on the building commenced in September 1999 and was completed in October 2000. The hospital was officially commissioned on the 19th of January 2001. The hospital was a turnkey project built by the ECC (Larsen and toubro - construction division)with all the latest hi-tech civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works including aesthetic finishing. All the electromechanical services that make the buildings "intelligent" along with a gamut of systems including water, sanitary, HVAC, elevator, fire protection, security and surveillance systems, landscaping and horticultural works were included and executed according to plan. The contractors coordinated with BNA agencies for internal telecommunication facilities, Bhoruka medical gas agencies, various medical equipment suppliers including architecture and medical consultants.

The hospital has two separate complexes. First, the Screening Block, where the patients are screened initially, who after examination and registration will proceed to the main hospital, next the main block with the rest of the services. The hospital is shaped in the form of the alphabet "K". The spine of the letter contains the specialized diagnostics, laboratories and theaters on different floors, while the arms contain the wards and Out Patient Departments also on different floors. The elevation is of three levels, the ground floor, first and second floors from the front and has a basement in the rear, which makes it four levels in the rear. The electricity and uninterrupted power supply systems are located behind the hospital. The pressurized oxygen that needs to be pumped all over the hospital is stored in a separate tank away from the hospital building. The hospital has its own water treatment plant and incinerator making it comprehensive in every sense of the term.

Apart from the functional aspects of the hospital, which are world standards, the aesthetics of construction make it look really like a vast temple rather than a hospital. The ambiance is so designed as to create in the viewer a sense of awe, reverence and humility and most of all, gratitude to the most Merciful Lord, Bhagawan Baba, who is granting the world premium, tertiary health care free of cost. The central dome is 23 mts in diameter and reaches more than a 100 feet from ground level. It is an awe-inspiring sight with the cupola supported by eight massive pillars. Stained glass widows on the walls of the dome act as skylights throwing multi hued designs on the polished granite floor and the sandstone walls. The primary emotion that any one experiences on entering this area is an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility. This is the beginning of the cure…for one is in the precincts of the Temple of Healing.

THE SPECIALTIES:

The SSSIHMS Whitefield has two main specialties, cardiac sciences that include cardiology and cardio thoracic and vascular surgery and the neurosciences that include neurology and neurosurgery.

The hospital is also has a full laboratory facility with the latest upgradeable equipment which can be interfaced with other systems. The various departments of the hospital are located as follows:

You have just been taken on a tour of the hospital. You must have appreciated the grand architecture and the great facilities…But what sets apart this temple of healing is that feeling of transformation that it has brought about and is still bringing about in all those who are associated with it : the people involved in the construction, the patients, their relavtives, the doctors, the staff and the continuous stream of dignitaries who come to see with their own eyes ,this wonderful Temple of Love…….

More in the next few pages..........