INTERVIEW: Dr. C. E. Eapen, Medical Superintendent, Christian Medical College, Vellore

Dr. C. E. Eapen, Medical Superintendent, Christian Medical College, talks to ETHealthworld about the need to maintain ethical standards in order to regain the eroding trust and the respect that healthcare profession had earlier.

1. Tell us about the mission and vision of CMC?

Christian Medical College (CMC) started in the year 1900 by an American missionary called Dr. Ida S. Scudder. She disliked being in India as she was always in America. She came to India (near Vellore) at the age of 20 to visit her mother who became sick. One night 3 men came to her asking for help for their wives were having problem in delivering a baby and she couldn't help as she wasn't a doctor. The next morning she came to know that all 3 women died . She took this as God's call to her and decided to study medicine and save lives of women dying in child birth in India.

At the age of 25 she reaches America, she finishes her studies by 30 and comes back to Vellore. Within a year, she realizes that there are too many patients in India and she can't handle them all. Finally she embarks up on starting a medical college. She turns 60 by the time she builds a medical college. She writes in her diary "we are not building a medical college, we are building a kingdom of God" and this is what I believe.
Whatever we do here should reflect our mission statement which should further God's kingdom. What we interpret from God's kingdom is anyone who experiences this institution should feel a personal relationship with God, be it a patient, student, staff member or a visitor.

2. Tell us about the financial model of CMC ?

CMC almost looks like a public hospital because of the large number of patients we see here but actually it is a private hospital. It's a private hospital which functions like a public institution.. Currently 99% of income to CMC comes from treating patients and 25% of it is given back either as subsidy for treatment or for subsidy for education. The fees of MBBS course per year is Rs3000. It is a planned decision and a required policy to keep it this low. We hope that studying here will impact the students in such a way that he or she contribute to the society realizing what institution has done to them.

A lot has changed overtime, unlike pre-independence which had a lot of foreign aid coming in. Now there is nothing like foreign aid or direct Government of India aid. All the money comes from treating patients and what hospitals would use in giving out dividends for profits is given as charity here.

Our numbers have been increasing and this reflects the need for health care in India. On Monday we have the maximum number of patients averaging to 7000-8000. There are around 7000 out patients per day and 2100 inpatients in this campus.

3. What challenges do you see in the healthcare scenario of India?

The biggest challenge in India is that the public is pursuing healthcare as an industry. People are making money out of it because of which the trust of the public is slowly eroding. This is not good neither for the public nor for the healthcare in India and CMC is very much against this model.

Another challenge is that many believe that people who train over here become misfit for society, they can't fit anywhere else or become brain washed. We have to win back the trust in the public as a vocation and not as a healthcare industry.

Here if a doctor see's 10 patients a day or 50 patients a day his salary will be the same. We do not have a commission policy here in CMC so the system doesn't allow a single person to make money out of it. If in a system my remuneration depends on the number of patients I see it may start affecting me subconsciously, whether I like it or not it.

CMC is known for its ethical standard and this is what brings a large number of patients here. The decisions we make for treatment will not affect or influence the commercial interest because the system doesn't allow it. We have to bring back the loss of trust and the respect healthcare profession had earlier.

The above is from the newsletter I receive from ET HealthWorld. com