Place: Kerala State, India

Introduction:

Any patient regains full health after his/her operation in any part of the body but utmost care has to be taken post-operative period and any negligence or careless ness would lead to a dangerous situation and that may turn out to be more complicated than the disease or medical problem of which the patient has been relieved. In many of the hospitals patients go for post-operation check-ups and get proper advice and follow the necessary pre-cautions till he/she gets completely cured. Sri Sathya Sai Baba of India has established a world class two gigantic hospitals and they treat the patients free of cost irrespective of caste, creed, colour, religion and Nationality etc. and since it is a free treatment most of the patients are coming from very poor economic status and they lack minimum knowledge of health awareness.

Project Details:

Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation in India has made a working wing to look after the Patients operated in Puttaparthi and Bangalore to guide and keep in touch with these beneficiaries. Kerala State Organisation is involved in a very systematic approach to look after these people as they are scattered around the state and a perfect human chain mechanism has been established and named this wonderful divine activity as “Sai Rehabilitation Programme” (SRP) and in other words “Hrudaya Sangamam” – a touch with Heart. It started with four hundred patients in 2009 and grew to about 3000 now

Working Method:

Organisation gets/obtains the list of patients operated and their address-village and district details and Sevadal workers visit the patients and give guidance,

• How to be careful post-operative time.
• Conducts regular camps in District for BP (blood pressure) and other tests.
• Each district SRP is headed by a Cardiologist or General Medicine doctor
• This programme is supported by Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Primary Health Care, Shoranur.
• New work force will be developed by conducting training camp once in a year to effectively monitor SRP.
• The patient  is  given  a paper  with  the name  and  phone  numbers  of  the  co-coordinator of SRP  of  that district from where The patient come from.
• Pro-forma for follow up will be sent to the central State SRP office at Shoranur.
• Central State SRP office also gets a list of patients discharged from Bangalore hospital.
• Patients to contact directly SRP in-charge for any post-operation help.

Patients have been categorized into 3 varieties:  

1)     Those who needs total help such as medicines, financial help, provision of food and other necessary things in life and they  are  called “ADOPTED  PATIENTS” meaning  they  are  totally  taken  care  of. Today there are 120 such people and Organisation has extended help beyond expectations like building houses, conducing marriages of patients’ children and vocationally rehabilitated.

2)    Those  who  need  only  medicines and they  can otherwise  take  care of  themselves.

3)    Those  who  do  not  need any  help  from  this  programme and  but they are  given  counselling  and  were monitored  regarding  their  life style, house visits etc.

Most Success Results:

Patients  are  regularly  seen  in  their  homes  and  sessions  are conducted  along  with  their  family  members  and  neighbors.  This  is where  active  counselling  is  done (The  active  workers  are  given a  basic  training  in listening  skills) HRIDAYA  SANGAMAM-A touch with Heart—-  All patients  who  have  completed  the  initial  three check-up will have a get together once  in six  months,  in  each  District of  all  the  patients. We call it “HRIDAYASANGAMAM” –Confluence of Hearts. Here patients meet informally, usually addressed by a Cardiologist or a counsellor who gives talks on life style.

Patients also get an opportunity to speak about modification of diet etc. Here it is ascertained whether all patients are following the  instructions  given  by  their Hospitals  and  whether  the  necessary investigations  are  being  done, especially  in  the  case  of  those  who  have had  Valve surgeries. If  the  patient is  defaulter  due  to financial reasons the  Sri Sathya Sai Samithi  nearest  to  his/her  place  takes  care  of  it.

Hridaya Sangamam Meet:

Recently Hridayasangamam of Calicut was attended by 1000 people who have received treatment/operated at Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospitals accompanied by their families. This was attended by the State Health minister and a Member of Parliament.

Visit to Divine Place:

All operated patients have the Hridayasangamam at Puttaparthi, the birth place of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 2010. The patients got opportunity to speak in the Sai Kulwant hall with highly emotionally outpourings of their love and gratitude to Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The Transformation:

The Sai workers in Kerala  were  amazed  at the  level of  devotion  and love,  these  patients  and  their  families  have  for  Sri Sathya Sai Baba irrespective of their religious beliefs and social background. Many of the patients have become workers in SRP and they started working for other patients and did services at Puttaparthi

So is the saga of Love in Action goes on…

Project Coordinator: Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation-Kerala

Contact Person: Prof E Mukundan, State President, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation-Kerala State, mail ID: saisandesh@sify.com

For further details: admin@ssssoindia.org