Snapshot – CMC 2020

Summary of News from CMC Vellore


Recognition of the work done by CMC

Several awards were received during the year, namely:

?Workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic?.
?Excellence in Hospital Preparedness for COVID-19?.
?Best charity hospital combating COVID-19?.
D. L. Shah Quality Award (gold) for ?Continuous Quality Improvement in the Central Sterile Supply Department.
Best Private medical College ( and second best overall) by the ?Week? and ?India today? Surveys in 2020.
Third best medical college by the national Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF), Government of India.

Student Admissions

New batch of undergraduates (Batch of 2020), postgraduates and higher specialty candidates in medicine, nursing and allied health joined in December 2020. (later than usual).
Several new courses were started this year:
MD in Emergency Medicine,
MCh in Paediatric Orthopaedics
DM in Clinical Virology (first in the Country), Interventional Radiology and Neuroanesthesia.

Recognition of Staff achievements


Several CMC faculties were featured among the top 2% of scientists globally in the recently published Stanford University report. CMC continues to place emphasis on research, and in 2019-20, we witnessed a record receipt of research grants from research partners and funding agencies from within India and overseas.


150th Birthday Anniversary of Ida Scudder


2020 marked the 150th birth anniversary of the founder Dr. Ida Scudder. It was amazing to see the global network of CMC, friends, alumni, and well-wishers contributing and joining in the novel, mega-24-hour online event to celebrate this occasion with an array of activities. It was also fitting that Dr. James Taylor, a member of the Scudder family, and the great-great-grandson of Dr. Silas Scudder, founder of Scudder Memorial Hospital, Ranipet, delivered the 9th Annual Dr. Ida Scudder Humanitarian Oration.


Clinical Services

Kannigapuram Campus

The commissioning of the new campus at Kannigapuram was delayed due to the pandemic. However, part of the facility was utilized for admitting COVID patients at the request of the District Collector of the newly formed Ranipet District. Work is now progressing at a good pace, hoping to dedicate this facility in the next few months. The residences in Kannigapuram are almost complete, and our faculty and staff have started occupying the houses there.

Chittoor Campus

The Chittoor campus continued to witness a high turnover of patients during the pandemic. It was heartening to note that despite various hurdles, several new initiatives were possible in 2020. This included the housing complex (called Genesis), the ?Chatram? (accommodation) facility for relatives of patients (called Ashraya – was a gift from the MBBS batch of 1991), a Radiology suite (housing a new CT scan and other radiology facilities) and a biomedical waste management facility. The second batch of B. Sc Nursing students were also admitted in 2020.


Vellore Campus


In the main hospital, the number of outpatients and inpatients dropped to 30% and 50% respectively at the peak of the lockdown, placing enormous stress on the finances. Several strategies helped to tide through this period that included careful (re)-allocation of available resource, improvement in efficiency, reduction in expenditure (particularly capital expenditure), fund raising and some bank borrowings.

Despite these challenges, it was heartening to note that both COVID and non-COVID services were offered on the main campus, through the pandemic. Several inpatient areas were converted into COVID facilities (Levels 0 to Level 3), and over 10,000 patients were treated for COVID. Thanks to the generous contributions by staff, alumni, CMC Vellore Foundation in the US, Friends of Vellore (FOV) globally and other well-wishers, charitable work did not suffer during COVID and was at an all-time high of 20%.

The “Manna Meal Scheme,” with contributions from staff and alumni, helped distribute over 15,000 meal coupons to patients and relatives who were stuck in Vellore during the lockdown. In some instances, boarding was arranged for patient relatives who were evicted from their lodges.
The work at the old Student Nurse’s hostel in the town campus, was also delayed, and it is hoped that this facility will be commissioned in February 2021 as an inpatient block (Paul Brand Block), primarily for orthopaedics.

Other Facilities

The CMC Diagnostic and Day care facility at Sathuvachari (in Vellore town) was converted to a family medicine clinic in order to cater to the local population. It continues to offer laboratory and pharmacy services, as well as day care surgeries
.
The outreach and clinical programs by CHAD, RUHSA, LCECU, CONCH (College of Nursing Community Health), MHC (Mental Health Centre) and Rehabilitation unit continue to serve the community. The outreach units made special efforts to reach their area patients during the lockdown to ensure that healthcare was not neglected during this period. The Jawadhi hills tribal project continues its mission to the most vulnerable. Staff contributed and also raised funds to provide food and essential items to the most vulnerable area patients and their families during the lockdown.

The Donations Received


The year 2020 was a year of extraordinary giving.

The staff of CMC, despite the COVID struggles and some coping with job losses of their spouses working elsewhere, dug deep into their pockets to donate about Rupees 4 crores towards COVID work.

Alumni contributed generously towards the cost of procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment required for COVID care.

FOV from across the globe raised funds for the creation of several intensive care Unit (ICU) beds that were desperately needed for COVID. Many donor agencies through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributed to the purchase of equipment as well as supporting patients who were unable to afford healthcare.

The Assisted Living Centre, a FOV US project supported generously by alumni and the Scudder family, and located in the Filter bed road, was dedicated in September 2020.

We were also blessed with the ASHA grant for 2019 to support the creation of a simulation facility.

Other Services

The year also marked innovations in patient care, services, and teaching.

Student teaching happened predominantly on an online platform.

The Distance Education Department created several online training modules for COVID management that were disseminated widely across the network hospitals and government institutions.

An online system with support through an institutional call centre was created (electronic Medicine Delivery System – eMeDs) for patients to be able to re-fill chronic medication prescriptions and for them to be couriered to their homes.

Teleconsultation follow-up for patients with chronic illness was made possible by the creation of a Teleconsultation facility.

 
 
 
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