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Amrita Hospital, Kochi

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Amrit914 (talk | contribs) at 20:50, 13 December 2012 (→Indiavision campaign against AIMS: This was a misquote. V.S. Sivajumar did not specifically mention AIMA in the cited article.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences-AIMS
Company typePublic
IndustryHealthcare
Founded1999
HeadquartersKochi, India, India
Key people
Mata Amritanandamayi, Patron Founder
Ron Gottsegen, Administrative Director
Prem Nair, Medical Director
RevenueCharitable Foundation
Number of employees
5000 +
WebsiteAIMS-Kochi

The Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (AIMS) is a ISO 9001:2000 certified and NABH accredited private medical college near Edapally in Kochi, India. It is also a 1,450-bed hospital,

It was inspired by Mata Amritanandamayi and inaugurated on May 17, 1998 by then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee in presence of Mata Amritanandamayi. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math is its parent organization. Ron Gottsegen is the Executive Director and Dr. Prem Nair is the Medical Director of AIMS. Dr. Damodaran M. Vasudevan is the principal of the institute and the Dean of the Amrita College of Medicine |Medical under the aegis of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The center was awarded medical university status by the state government of Kerala and on 10 August 2002, AIMS was chosen for the Central Government's pilot project on telemedicine.

Overview

Amrita Institute of Medical Science (AIMS) offers facilities comprising 25 modern operating theatres, 210 equipped intensive-care beds, a fully computerized and networked Hospital Information System (HIS), a fully digital radiology department, a 24/7 telemedicine service and a clinical laboratory.

This healthcare infrastructure with over 3,330,000 sq. ft of built-up area spread over 125 acres of land supports a daily patient volume of about 3000 outpatients and with a 95 percent inpatient occupancy.

History

On the 17th of May 1998, AIMS was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in the presence of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.

With facilities comprising 25 operating theatres, 210 intensive-care beds, a computerized and networked Hospital Information System (HIS), a digital radiology department, clinical laboratories and a telemedicine service. The institution is equipped with 12 Super Speciality Departments and 45 other departments. The hospital uses Fully Digital Imaging Services as the first institution in South East Asia. The AIMS team comprises physicians, surgeons, nurses and other healthcare workers. The institution has 4500 members of staff and 1000 faculty members. AIMS features one of the most advanced hospital computer networks in India. The network supports more than 2000 computers and has computerised nearly every aspect of patient care including all patient information, lab testing and radiological imaging. It owns a Fully Integrated Health Care Delivery System. Another feature is the Teleconnectivity which connects it to 36 Centres in India, 32 in the African Subcontinent and 6 in other Countries. A PET (Positron Emitting Tomography) CT scanner, the first of its kind in the state of Kerala and which is useful for early detection of cancer, has been installed in AIMS and was inaugurated in July 2009 by Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India.[1]

Departments

Main Block

The center comprises a reference diagnostic clinical laboratory, including molecular biology and cytogenetics labs, a diagnostic imaging centre, a Medical, Dental, and Nursing college, a pharmacy school and research facility, a computerised and networked hospital information system NABL accredited laboratory and radiology department.

Departments in AIMS are adult Cardiology, Paediatric Cardiology, Cardiac surgery|Cardio Vascular surgery, Paediatric Heart Surgery and Congenital Heart surgery under Centre for Heart Diseases, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncologyunder Cancer centre, Upper gastrointestinal surgery and Lower gastrointestinal surgery and Hepatology under centre for Digestive diseases, Neurology, Paediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery under centre for Neurosciences, Centre for Orthopaedics, Head and Neck, Reconstructive surgery, Cosmetic surgery, Hand surgery, Clefts and Craniofacial surgery and Burn surgery under centre for Plastic Surgery/Reconstructive Surgery and Micro vascular surgery, center for Endocrinology and Diabetes, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatric Social Work, Psychiatry Nursing, Allied Behavioural sciences under centre for behavioural sciences Kidney Transplant and Liver Transplant under organ transplant centre, Pathology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cytology, Cytogenetics, Haematology, Histopathology, Metabolic Disorders, Molecular Biology, Serology and Toxicology and Poison control center under centre for laboratory medicine, Informatics, Medical Multimedia, Telemedicine, Learning Resource Centre, Research and Technology Assessment centre Continuing Medical Education and E-Learning centre under centre for Medical Informartics, Bioinformatics, Multimedia-Education, and Tele medicine. Specialty departments like Aesthetic and Facial surgery, Anaesthesiology, Medical statistics, Dentistry, Dermatology, Emergency services, ENT, Geriatrics, Obstetrics and gynaecology, Internal Medicine, Medical Physics, paediatric surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Nuclear Medicine, Ophthalmology, Vitreo-Retinal surgery, General Paediatrics, Pain and Palliative Care, Physiotherapy, pulmonology, Radiology, Respiratory therapy, Speech and language pathology and Speech and Hearing, and Urology and Kidney transplantation.

Facilities

The Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences is the adjunct to the term "new universalism" coined by the World Health Organization. This healthcare infrastructure with over 33,30,000 ft² of built-up area spread over 125 acres of land supports a daily patient volume of about 1400 outpatients.

AIMS is engaged in creating a research department including biotechnology, nanotechnology, and implant research. It has received grants from the Indian government and is part of the Indo-U.S. collaboration.[citation needed]

Research and Development

Development of nanomedicine with ability to kill drug resistant cancer

On October 16th 2012, AIMS announced that it had developed a nanomedicine for treating drug resistant cancer cells.[2]

Nurses' strike demanding wage hike

In December 2011, nurses at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre went on strike against the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, demanding a wage hike. This was part of a series of state-wide strikes by nurses throughout Kerala.[3] The strike was called when leaders of the United Nurses' Association claimed that they were beaten by members of the hospital staff. Later, police was summoned to stop the protests, and they resorted to batons to disperse the protestors. Management claimed that the operations would not be affected even if the nurses continued their indefinite strike.[4] They stated that hundreds of nursing graduates who were Amritanandamayi's devotees were waiting to server patients at the hospital.[5] Finally a consensus was reached between the Math and the protestors, wherein the charges against the protestors would be withdrawn by the Math and their demand for wage hike would be considered.[6]

Indiavision campaign against AIMS

In August 2012, Indiavision television channel reported that the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre is found to be testing new drugs on patients selected through free medical camps.[7] The hospital authorities stated that the tests are conducted only after obtaining consent from patients and their relatives.[8] Kerala minister for health, V. S. Sivakumar launched an investigation into hospitals in Kerala that are alleged to be performing illegal trials.[9]

Indiavision later reported that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed the death of 10 patients at AIMS in 5 years.[10] Indiavision later reported that figures of death are not available [11] Following this, the Indian Medical Association constituted a panel to study the unethical drug trials.[12]

Hospital has clarified in a statement that only 1000 patients out of 12 lakh patients who have undergone medical treatments since hospital establishment have participated in trials. The statement continued to state that no patient has died during trials and patients for trials are not selected from free medical camps.The hospital also provides free medical insurance coverage for all those participating in trials and all treatments are free for them. Sponsoring companies take care of the expense for treatment and medicines for patients; researchers in the hospital do not benefit financially from the procedure, the statement added.[citation needed]

Facebook campaign and police case against Amrita defamers

In July 2012, a girl by the name Swathi Krishna underwent a liver transplantation surgery at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. As she was from a poor family, she could not afford the cost of the surgery. Initially, the hospital authorities did not give any concession to Swathi. Later protests were raised by some Facebook users against Amritanandamayi and the hospital for violating their own pronouncement that the hopital was founded as Amritanandamayi saw that while the poor did receive basic medical care through various charitable clinics, advanced care was beyond their dreams.[13] A Facebook page that was started for this purpose received 6000 likes and 13000 shares. Swathi's villagers also helped in raising funds. INR 2,700,000 was collected through the mass campaign. The Kerala government contributed INR 500,000. Following the success of the campaign, the hospital authorities offered a concession of INR 400,000 for Swathi's treatment.[14] The incident created a widespread awareness for organ donation in the state, with people like Mohanlal pledging organs after death.[15]

Later, the Kochi police registered a case against the protestors for charges of defamation of Amritanandamayi and the hospital. Police observed that a case could be taken out against those who liked or shared such posts.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.aimshospital.org/history/history.html
  2. ^ "AIMS develops new drug for leukaemia". Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Kerala nurses' strike over pay intensifies pay spreads in". Khaleejtimes.com. 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  4. ^ "NATIONAL / KERALA : Nurses at Amrita on strike". The Hindu. 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  5. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2697619.ece
  6. ^ "Cities / Kochi : Nurses return to work at Kolenchery medical college". The Hindu. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  7. ^ http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/16/101958.html
  8. ^ http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/16/101989.html
  9. ^ http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/16/101971.html
  10. ^ http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/22/103417.html
  11. ^ http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/16/101989.html
  12. ^ http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article595542.ece
  13. ^ http://www.aimshospital.org/aboutus/inspiration.html
  14. ^ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/swathi-krishna-returns-life-664
  15. ^ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/south/mohanlal-pledges-organs-after-death-704
  16. ^ http://www.asianage.com/kochi/amrita-defamers-face-police-case-865

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