Council of Christian Hospitals

Council of Christian Hospitals

Abbreviation	COCH
Formation	13 April 1973 (1973-04-13)
Founder	Canadian Baptist Mission
Founded at	Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh)
Legal status	Body corporate under Indian Societies Registration Act
Purpose	Healthcare provider
Headquarters	Pithapuram, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates	17.12615°N 82.25469°E / 17.12615; 82.25469
Region	Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
Membership	4 participating hospitals (in 2015)
Official language	English
Chairperson	Prof. P. Judson
Secretary	Mr. R. Paul Jai Singh
Affiliations	Christian Medical Association of India, New Delhi, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars
Formerly called	Medical Board/Council of Institutions of Canadian Baptist Ministries

Council of Christian Hospitals (COCH) is a not-for-profit healthcare provider in India. COCH is a body corporate under Indian Societies Registration Act and has its registered office in premises of one of its participating hospitals, that is, Christian Medical Centre, Pithapuram in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

Formed on 13 April 1973, COCH sets an annual agenda in line with its missionary endeavor to serve the poor and needy. In terms of continuing education, COCH is a members of the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, where two office bearers of COCH-the Chairperson and the Secretary-participate in the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore. As a sponsoring body, COCH also communicates with members of churches founded by the Canadian Baptist Mission inviting applications for possible sponsorship to eligible students to study health-related courses at Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore.

COCH is represented at ecumenical forums as a member of Christian Medical Association of India, an affiliated institution of National Council of Churches in India.

History

Baptist missionaries from Canada first came to Ramayapatnam in 1868 in southern Andhra Pradesh working along with American Baptist missionaries. On invitation extended by Indian Missionary, Thomas Gabriel who was involved in propagating Gospel in parts of East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna districts along northern coastal line of Andhra Pradesh. Canadian Baptist Mission began sending Missionaries to India in 1874 to partner with Thomas Gabriel. Apart from Church-related ministries of evangelism and leadership training, there was also development ministries that included aiding people in agricultural, health and educational development.

In addition to intervention among Telugus in Andhra Pradesh, the missionaries also covered southern Odisha working among Soura, Kui and Odiya and later in 1922, Serango Christian Hospital was opened in Gajapati District, Odisha.

William Gordon Carder, formerly Professor of Church History at Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad wrote that it was Dr. E. G. Smith who could be termed as first Medical Missionary from Canadian Baptist Mission who was sent to India in 1894. During the ensuing years', a total of eight hospitals were founded by Canadian Baptist Mission.

Legal status

During latter half of nineteenth century, Missionaries entrusted leadership to their co-partners, the Indians, resulting in formation of Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) which had also Educational, Theological, and Medical Committees. However, it was felt that Medical Committee be made autonomous and all medical institutions needed to be safeguarded and continued to be managed without any hindrances. Therefore, Canadian Baptist Ministries, with bona fide motives entrusted properties of medical institutions founded by it to the custody of Evangelical Trust Association of South India (ETASI), Bangalore (Karnataka). Further, on 13 April 1973, COCH was formed as an autonomous body to manage medical ministries of Canadian Baptist Ministries.

Members

Participating institutions of Council of Christian Hospitals

Founding year	Name of Institution	Location	District	State
1898	Star of Hope Hospital	Akiveedu	West Godavari District	Andhra Pradesh
1904	Christian Medical Centre	Pithapuram	East Godavari District	Andhra Pradesh
1906	Bethel Hospital	Vuyyuru	Krishna District	Andhra Pradesh
1928	Serango Christian Hospital	Serango	Gajapati district	Odisha

Further reading

• Prabhakara Rao, S., Rev. (March 1971). "The Medical Ministry of the Canadian Baptist Mission (Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars) 1890–1950". A thesis submitted to the History Department of the Ramapatnam Baptist Theological College in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Divinity of the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• G.Beaulah Pearl Sunanda (1990). "An Insight into the History of the Canadian Baptist Mission in Andhra Pradesh (1874–1924)". Unpublished M.Phil. (History) Thesis, Madras Christian College, Madras.
• John Craig (1908). Forty years among the Telugus : a history of the mission of the Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, to the Telegus, South India 1867–1907. Self-publishing.
• M. L. Orchard (2008). Canadian Baptists at work in India. Missionary Education Department of the Foreign Mission Board. ISBN 978-1-4086-7832-9.
• John Craig, J. R. Stillwell (Eds.) (1924). Telugu Trophies: The Jubilee story cf some of the principal Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924. Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board.
• Sanna Morrison Barlow (1956). Light Is Sown – Chapter 4: Sheaves. Moody Press.
• J. B. McLaurin (1945). "Healing Hands : Dr. Jessie M. Allyn of Pithapuram, South India". The Centenary Committee of the Canadian Churches.
• Martin Senftleben (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh." (PDF). Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. I. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2006.