Council of Christian Hospitals

Council of Christian Hospitals[1] (COCH), an autonomous[2] body that facilitates management of medical institutions founded by Missionaries of Canadian Baptist Mission. 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, CBM Christian Medical Centre, Pithapuram in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

Council of Christian Hospitals[1]
క్రైస్తవ ఆస్పత్రుల మండలి (కోచ్)
AbbreviationCOCH
Formation13 April 1973 (1973-04-13)[2]
FounderCanadian Baptist Mission
Founded atPithapuram (Andhra Pradesh)
Legal statusBody corporate under Indian Societies Registration Act
PurposeFacilitator of medical missions of Canadian Baptist Mission
HeadquartersPithapuram, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates17.12615°N 82.25469°E / 17.12615; 82.25469
Region
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
Membership (2015)
4 participating hospitals and 1 nursing school
Official language
English
Chairperson
Prof. P. Judson
Secretary
Mr. R. Paul Jai Singh[3]
Parent organization
Canadian Baptist Ministries
AffiliationsChristian Medical Association of India, New Delhi, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore
Formerly called
Medical Board[2]/Council of Institutions[2] of Canadian Baptist Ministries

Formed on 13 April 1973,[2] COCH sets an annual agenda in line with Missionary endeavour to serve the poor and the needy. In terms of continuing education, COCH is one of the members of the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore where two members office bearers of COCH comprising Chairperson and Secretary participate in Annual General Meeting of Association of Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore. As a sponsoring body, COCH also communicates with members of Churches founded by Canadian Baptist Mission inviting applications for possible sponsorship to eligible students to study health-related courses at Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore.

Participating institutions of Council of Christian Hospitals
Founding
year		Name of InstitutionLocationDistrictState
1898CBM Star of Hope HospitalAkiveeduWest Godavari DistrictAndhra Pradesh
1904CBM Christian Medical CentrePithapuramEast Godavari DistrictAndhra Pradesh
1906CBM Bethel HospitalVuyyuruKrishna DistrictAndhra Pradesh
1920CBM Integrated School of NursingPithapuramEast Godavari DistrictAndhra Pradesh
1928[4]CBM Serango Christian HospitalSerangoGajapati districtOdisha
1991[4]CBM Eye Services[5]RanipetaGajapati districtOdisha

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 comprising members from Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India.

Background

Baptist missionaries from Canada first came to Ramayapatnam in 1868[2] 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.,[6] 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.[7]

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,[4] 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.[2] During the ensuing years', a total of eight[8][9] hospitals were founded by Canadian Baptist Mission.

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[2] 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),[1] Bangalore (Karnataka). Further, on 13 April 1973,[2] COCH was formed as an autonomous body to manage medical ministries of Canadian Baptist Ministries.[1]

Supporters
List of Chairpersonships

Apart from the Canadian Baptist Ministries, the Hospitals and Nursing School of the COCH are partly funded by the following institutions:

  • Christoffel Blinden Mission[13]
  • European Baptist Ministries[14]
  • Government of Andhra Pradesh[15] – National Blindness Control Programme

Notes
  1. ETASI, health
  2. W. Gordon Carder (1976). Hand to the Indian Plow: Volume One. Hyderabad: Christian Book Depot. pp. 143–147.
  3. Income Tax, Hyderabad DDO's training, Hyderabad 2017.
  4. Kenneth Knight; Shirley Knight (November 2009). The Seed Holds the Tree: A Story of India and the Kingdom of God. Lulu dot com. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-9864766-0-0.
  5. Life for All, November 2011 – February 2012, Bimonthly Newsletter of the Christian Medical Association of India, p.8.
  6. Martin Senftleben, Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, 1992. Archived 9 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Manorama Fritschi, op. cit.
  8. Indian Church History Review, Volume 3, Church History Association of India, 1969, p.148.
  9. J. Gordon Melton (Edited), Encyclopedia of American Religions, Gale, 2003, p.560.
  10. Manorama Fritschi (Ed.), Council of Christian Hospitals, Pithapuram, 1977. Manorama Fritschi was the wife of Dr. Ernest Paul Fritschi who was the earlier Director of Schieffelin Institute of Health, Research and Leprosy Centre, Karigiri, India. Internet, accessed 26 October 2008. Archived 22 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  11. CMC Newsline, Vol.No.51. No. 30, 20 January 2014. Archived 15 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Indian Orthopaedic Association, List of Members
  13. "CBM – Serango Christian Hospital – Eye Services". Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  14. "EBM INTERNATIONAL; Europäische Baptistische Mission: helping churches to fulfil God's mission in the world.: Home" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2006.
  15. "Welcome to APonline.gov.in, the official portal of Govt. of A P". Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2006.

Further reading
  • Global Recordings Network. "Light Is Sown – Chapter 4: Sheaves". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • J. B. McLaurin. "Healing Hands : Dr. Jessie M. Allyn of Pithapuram, South India". The Centenary Committee of the Canadian Churches. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • 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". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Martin Senftleben (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati" (PDF). I. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2006. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) II
  • S. Prabhakara Rao (March 1971). "The Medical Ministry of the Canadian Baptist Mission (Convention of Baptist Churches of the Northern Circars) 1890–1950. A thesis submitted to the History Department of the Ramapatnam Baptist Theological College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Divinity of the Senate of Serampore College (University)". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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