Manohriday

As you glance through the pictures of the College infrastructure, we are sure you will be left moved by Bhagawan’s love towards the patients, reflected in the high quality of value-based, nursing education being provided free of cost to the students of the College. The issue also includes testimonials from former staff, involved in mentoring the nursing students and also alumni of the programs.

Dear readers,

The beginning of a New Year is a time to introspect and mull over the learnings from the previous year and make fresh resolutions for implementation in the current year. Mano Hriday, the Hospital newsletter, is an annual offering, which allows us to introspect on the year gone by, and prepare us for a fresh start in the New Year ahead.

In this issue, the cover story traces the birth

The ‘Sri Sathya Sai Hospital’ Metro station, commissioned early last year has ensured easy access to the Hospital by the patients.

This issue also carries inside these pages remarkable stories of healing grace received by staff, volunteers and patients.

We hope you enjoy going through this issue, as much as we did compiling it for you.

– The Editors of the SSSIHMS College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences program in 2008 within SSSIHMS-Whitefield, culminating with the inauguration of the Nursing College Block on 19-Jan-2024, by the Honorable Deputy CM of Karnataka.

This issue also contains interactions with Baba’s devotees around the world, who have selflessly contributed to the setting up of the nursing program and also involved with ongoing training programs for the Nurses.

Front cover:

View of the foyer in the new Nursing College Block.

Back cover:

Artwork of Lord Ganesha & Mother Saraswathi at the entrance of the new

Nursing College Block.

Dr. D.C. Sundaresh, Director, SSSIHMS, Whitefield, Bangalore

Om Sri Sai Ram, I offer myself at the Divine Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It is with great humility that I stand before you to offer the annual report of this temple of healing.

With the immense blessings and grace of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, this unique masterpiece and monument of pure love has not only stood the test of time but also grown multi-fold in the 23 years since inception.

What is so special about this hospital, which makes it one of a kind is its maxim of patient-centric service with compassion at its core? The performance of this hospital is not measured by the revenues generated or the sheer patient turnover but a larger rubric characterized by 1. Absolutely free-of-cost treatment to all those who come

to this hospital. 2. No discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion or

socio-economic status. 3. End-to-end treatment with comprehensive follow-up. Patient satisfaction is achieved through the interdependent efforts of expert doctors across specialties, highly trained nurses and allied-medical professionals and Sevadals or volunteers, who attend to their duties with absolute diligence, compassion and love, guided by Swami’s teaching of “Love All, Serve All”.

The hospital has an average of 850 patient visits per day. Consultations are based on prior appointments facilitated via a Tele Help Desk, managed by 200 volunteers from the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, and alumni of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. This has optimized process flow and yielded efficiency gains for both staff and patients. This is yet another innovative approach following Swami’s teaching of “Help Ever, Hurt Never”.

This hospital leverages state-of-the-art medical technology for providing medical care at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels absolutely free of cost. This year with the support of the Trust, several critical equipment have been upgraded.

The quality of medical care and hospital operations is measured & monitored through a dedicated mechanism of specialized committees, under the chairmanship of the Director. These include:

1. Patient Care Committee: For exclusive focus on inpatient treatment protocols.

2. Hospital Infection Control Committee: For identification, minimization, control of hospital acquired infections. 3. Clinical Meetings for reviewing department-wise medical

cases, and 4. Operational meetings for assessment of department-wise

resource requirements. These best practices account for a significantly low infection and mortality rates in the Institute, on par or better than international standards.

In addition to effective patient care, the Institute has also been instrumental in creating the next generation of doctors, nurses and technologists. More specifically, the SSSIHMS College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences has been offering free B.Sc. courses ingrained with ‘Value Based Integral Education’ for 15 years since inception on 1-Sep-2008. The B.Sc. specializations include Anaesthesia & Operation Theatre Technology, Cardiac Technology, Perfusion Technology, Imaging Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology and Nursing. These are affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore. Every academic year, 60 students are admitted across these disciplines and are provided with subsidized food and residential boarding facilities.

Recently, on 19 January 2024, the new Nursing College building has been inaugurated by Shri D.K. Shivakumar, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Govt. of Karnataka. The new facility is equipped with state-of-the-art classrooms with touchscreen interactive boards, computer lab, and training labs.

The Hospital has active post-graduate and post-doctoral programs affiliated to National Board of Examinations, offering DNB and fellowship programs, free-of-cost, across specialties.

In line with Bhagawan’s principle “Manava Seva ye Madhava Seva - Service to Man is Service to God”, the hospital has been functioning as a vast temple of healing and a temple of learning, rendering all services absolutely free of cost, with love and kindness as the fundamental ethos. This facilitates the translation of medical services into a larger dimension of Medicare.

I sincerely pray to Bhagawan to continuously inspire and bless us to do our best and be His Humble Instruments in spreading love and care to all His children.

I end with Baba’s quote, which serves as a reminder to all the staff serving at His Institutions: “Selfless Service to the needy is the highest spiritual discipline.”

SSSIHMS: A CONFLUENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND HEALING GRACE

“When you treat the patient with love, you will win the patient’s love.”

Cumulative Statistics - Jan-2001 to Dec-2023 Statistics for the period Jan-Dec-2023

Anand Kumar Mondal and Chandra Mondal are a loving couple, happily married in 1987 and blessed with two children. Anand worked as an accountant in a public firm, while Chandra Mondal was a housewife. A middleclass family, they lived a simple life.

In 2007, Chandra developed a fever and after a couple of days of waiting for it to subside, Anand took her to a local doctor, who prescribed her medicines. While it came down initially, it started recurring more often. Perplexed, the doctor conducted a more detailed examination, and advised an Echo test to be done. This revealed an issue with her heart for which she was referred to a cardiologist. With a lot of trepidation, they visited the local medical college hospital, where the cardiologist diagnosed Chandra with an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) viz. a hole in the heart, which needed intervention.

The diagnosis came as a shock to the family, especially to Chandra, who was very attached to her children. Also, the lakhs of rupees quoted by the hospital for the surgery was not within their reach.

It was through a chance interaction with a family acquaintance, who received treatment for a heart ailment at Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in Bangalore, that they heard about the Temple of Healing for the first time.

In August, 2007 Anand and Chandra made their first trip to SSSIHMS. The doctors investigated her condition and informed them that Chandra would need to undergo a cardiac procedure to close the hole in the heart. After a couple of checkups, they were advised to visit the hospital in January, 2008 for admission.

It was during one of the hospital visits that they decided to visit Puttaparthi for Baba’s darshan along with their younger child. It was their first time in Prasanthi Nilayam. They were fortunate to be seated in the first line, and Baba passed them both very closely and looked straight into their eyes. Anand felt tears of joy course down his face and he experienced a lightness of the body and mind. It seemed the first Darshan dissolved his anxiety about her treatment. The peace and tranquility they experienced laid the foundation of their faith in Baba.

On 1-Jan-2008, Chandra was admitted at the hospital and she underwent the procedure on 2-Jan. Chandra narrates her experience during surgery, which is nothing short of a miracle. “I had a prayer in my heart that Baba should save me for the sake of my young children. As I was being wheeled into the operation theatre, I vividly recall Baba next to me, assuring me He would take care.”

After the procedure, Anand recalls the joy he felt when the doctors came out and conveyed the news the procedure was successful. They said that for a period of 10-12 years she would have a trouble-free health, but once she develops any further issues, she may require an open-heart surgery. Chandra’s life was uneventful after the procedure and she continued to live a happy life, with faith in Baba’s grace on the family. In 2022, 14 years after her first procedure, Chandra started complaining of tiredness, had bouts of breathlessness and experienced difficulty in climbing stairs. They visited the hospital in October 2022, when after examining her, the doctors told her to come again after one year for an open-heart surgery.

Accordingly, they planned their visit around Baba’s Birthday on 23-Nov. After visiting the Brindavan ashram on 23-Nov, they presented themselves at the Hospital, where very quickly, she was admitted for an open-heart surgery. She underwent other preliminary tests to obtain clearance for surgery. She was admitted shortly thereafter and underwent an angiogram followed by surgery on the same day. Here again, Swami chose to bless Anand in a very unique way. While Anand was sitting outside the OT complex, a Sevadal comes and hands over a beautiful picture of Baba to him. He could not believe his eyes. He was so deeply moved by Baba’s grace.

Chandra’s surgery, where she underwent a valve replacement was successful and the post-op ICU and ward stay was uneventful as well.

Narrating his experiences through his years of visiting SSSIHMS, Anand says, “I have learnt so many beautiful life lessons visiting the hospital about how Seva is to be carried out and how to interact with other people. I have learnt to talk gently and constantly recall Baba’s teaching of “Love All, Serve All, Help Ever Hurt Never” and try and follow it all my life. We owe our lives to Bhagawan.

From her side, Chandra Mondal says, “I have deep faith in Baba, and through His instruments, be they the doctors, nurses or the Sevadal. I am immensely grateful for all the love and support we have received at the Hospital, and are ever indebted to Baba”.

Kalyani, a 14-year girl hailing from West Bengal, presented to our hospital with bluish discoloration of nails and lips and breathlessness on doing anything more than a household activity.

The Cardiology team evaluated her and referred her to our department for surgery as she had an extremely complex congenital lesion called CCTGA-VSD-PS with situs inversus and mesocardia. In layman’s terms, the organs supposed to be on the right are on the left and vice versa, including structures of the heart. Also, the heart instead of being tilted to the left, was in the centre. Atrial chambers, which receive blood from the body and lungs (deoxygenated and oxygenated respectively) were connected to the wrong ventricles (the pumping chambers), which was opposite of the normal. Along with this, there was a big hole in the heart, between these pumping chambers.

To add to this complexity, the big blood vessels which supply oxygenated blood to the body and deoxygenated blood to the lung were taking off from ventricles in a fashion opposite to the normal connection and the blood vessel going to the lung was very small near the opening, which was the reason for the bluish discoloration.

After thorough examination and reviewing the ECHO and CT scan, we planned a procedure called Senning-Rastelli (Double switch operation) to address Mother Nature’s play of switching connections at two levels.

On the day of surgery, everything was set. After opening the chest, we were amazed to see the complexity of the heart. The surgery went on smoothly and repair came out well. Due to the longer duration of the surgery, the chest was kept open for that night and was closed on the next day. She was taken off the ventilator on the next day and was shifted to the ward subsequently. She is still dependent on the pacemaker to support her heart rate, as the heart rate is around 50, which is little less for her present condition. It is a huge accomplishment to survive such a complex congenital heart lesion for 14 years and recover from such a complex surgery in a short duration. To address the heart rate, a pacemaker was implanted and she was discharged, fit to go out and live a fruitful life.

Dr. Ikshu Dhanva Jr. Consultant, Dept. of CTVS

“Transformation must begin with the individual; when the individual changes, the world will change.”

• Sri Sathya Sai Baba,

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 23 (1990)

My mother is a firm believer of Shirdi Sai Baba and she insisted I choose this Institute during the online counselling for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Post Graduate). She believed Baba would guide me on the right path. When I visited this Institute, I instantly fell in love with the environment and peace prevailing on campus. Thus began my journey with Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

I grew up in a city where neighbours did not have time to see or greet each other and lived busy, self-centred lives. I was an introvert and felt lonely. As days passed, I began to notice that people in this campus exuded lots of love, affection, and care. I felt inspired during my five-year journey in this Institution.

I got encouragement when I struggled, I got positivity when I was full of negativity, I got love when I felt deserted, I got care when I fell sick, I got blessed when I felt I was unfortunate I got hope when I felt depressed That is how I realized Baba lives in every one of us, giving encouragement, positivity, love, care, blessing and hope to each other.

I do believe in miracles. Till now Baba has given me all that I needed in my life. He had made me strong, courageous and caring. He even pulled me from the edge of death. I feel truly blessed by Him. As a student, my constant prayer is that I become an ideal instrument in His hands, and serve mankind.

Dr. K. Dipika 5th year Resident, Dept. of CTVS

Sairam. On 27-Sep-23 my wife and I proceeded to Majestic Railway Station for our pilgrimage to Shirdi & Pandaripur.

We boarded the train in time. Just 5-10 minutes before the departure, I experienced giddiness and collapsed on the floor. No one was around me at that time. By Swami’s love and blessings, I got up on my own. As I landed on the floor, I heard the crack of a bone. Swami helped me realize my left side collar bone was fractured.

Upon seeing me get up, my wife, who returned to the compartment, gave me turmeric powder blessed by Swami and applied vibuthi on the left shoulder. Through this, our Swami has absorbed the pain caused by the fracture. To the surprise of one and all I felt not a pinch of pain at all till this minute.

Before we could decide further course of action, the TTE arrived on the scene. He arranged an ambulance & wheel chair at the next station, Yelahanka, on the outskirts of Bangalore city.

Swami, gave me the intuition it would not be wise to continue the pilgrimage. Hence, we broke our journey and reached Swami’s Temple of Healing at Whitefield by 10.30 pm.

Upon reaching the hospital, all necessary tests including an X-ray were done. The Ortho doctor visited me, and confirmed the collar bone fracture. He added that the fracture did not need surgery and that a sling and a fourweek rest should be adequate.

To find out the cause for sudden giddiness, ENT, Neurology and Cardiology departments carried out all necessary tests including CT scan, lab tests, ECG, ECHO & holter study for 48 hours. I was relieved to find that all health parameters were within normal range, thanks to Swami’s grace! It is assumed the time gap between lunch & dinner on that day (about 6 hours) would have caused low sugar, leading to giddiness and the fall.

I consider this accident has been a blessing in disguise, and that Swami saved us from a more serious calamity by having us experience this minor injury, and for which He has taken care of me very well through His instruments in His Temple of Healing!

We were in for another blessing, when I visited the Ortho doctor in October, to get the clavicle brace adjusted, as it was rubbing against the skin and causing some irritation. When the doctor opened the brace to adjust it, he found a small picture of the Hiranyagarba lingam inside the brace. He inquired why we put this picture inside the brace, and we reported that we did not place the picture. Swami seemed to have placed this picture at the site of fracture, to hasten the healing!

I am back to serving in the Temple of Healing from Nov-2023. We are immensely grateful to Swami for his profuse shower of Healing Grace on me and my family.

• S. Balasubramanian, Seva Dal, SSSIHMS-Whitefield.

Sri S. Balasubramanian hails from Tamil Nadu. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1975 from Madurai Kamaraj University, and was employed in the private sector for 25 years. Since 1997, he has been associated with the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, Tamil Nadu. He was serving as a Sevadal in Prasanthi Nilayam between 1997-2008. He has been serving at SSSIHMS-Whitefield since 2009.

While SSSIHMS-Whitefield was inaugurated on 19-Jan-2001 with cardiac and neuro specialties, one of the lesser known facts is that perhaps the first emergency surgery done in the hospital was a plastic surgery done well before its inauguration.

It was during September 2000, when the inauguration was still a few months away. The medical staff employed were very few and there were mostly non-medical / engineering staff, working in preparation for the inauguration.

It was a relaxed Sunday morning, when I received a call from the medical administrator, requesting me to come to the hospital urgently. When I rushed to the hospital, I was briefed that an engineering staff had three of his fingers cut off in a freak accident. The three fingers were safely stored in a bottle and the search was on for a plastic surgeon, who could help fix these back. We contacted the honorary plastic surgeon, who was serving in the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Whitefield, but he was not reachable.

It was post lunch by the time we could reach him, and he readily agreed to come carry out the surgery. Though we had the surgeon, we did not have the instruments! Since we were a cardiac and neuro centre, we did not have the specific instruments needed to carry out this procedure. With constant chanting of ‘Sai Ram’, we selected available instruments best suited for the purpose and proceeded with the surgery. The theatre was not even ready and there was no anaesthetist available. The surgeon himself anesthetized the patient and carried out the surgery.

With the grace of Bhagawan, the surgery was a success! We needed post-operative dressing for the site of surgery, which we did not have in stock. The medical administrator and I scoured the local pharmacies and finally found the required dressing 5 km away in a newly-opened pharmacy! The pharmacist offered the dressings for free, apparently as they were samples provided by a company, as part of their product promotion.

When I retired that night, I had a dream of Swami in the early morning hours, enquiring whether all the dressings were consumed and whether we needed more for the days ahead. I woke up with tears of joy flowing from my eyes, as that was my first opportunity of communication with Swami after surrendering at His Divine Lotus feet in 1985, when I was in the middle east.

This episode firmly planted in my mind that it is the Healing Grace of Swami, that pervades this Temple of Healing, and we are truly fortunate to be part of His healthcare mission, delivering free healthcare to the most deserving.

It is heartening to note that the staff member, whose fingers were mended, is still serving at the Institute.

Sri S.K. Rangarajan

I/C CSSD & Laundry Services SSSIHMS-Whitefield

Let’s go back in time 33 years. It is 14-Jul-1992, Guru Poornima day, almost eight months after SSSIHMS Prasanthigram was inaugurated on 22-Nov-1991. Bhagawan started His discourse speaking of how Indian doctors were going abroad, due to inadequate recognition and encouragement. He then says, “Realizing we should make use of their services here itself, Swami has inspired many highly eminent doctors to serve in our hospital”.

He then follows this with, “When we have such highly capable and dedicated doctors, Swami willed that there should be sufficient numbers of trained nursing personnel and therefore training facilities for nursing personnel will be established. It is easy for doctors to perform operations. The real difficulty is in taking care of the patients after the operations. It is easy to slice vegetables.

But, to prepare a tasty dish out of that is very difficult. This task of “cooking” is done by the nurses. If there is no good nursing, even the operation may be a failure.”

This is when He declared His Sankalpa for starting a training facility to meet the nursing needs of “ever-growing number of patients seeking relief”.

Excerpts from His discourse:

“…in order to train a good band of nursing personnel, training facilities are being provided. All those who are pure-hearted and filled with a spirit of service, may approach Dr. Safaya (Director-SSSIHMS Prasanthigram) for undergoing training to serve in the hospital. They need not incur any expense. The entire training is free. Elsewhere, if people want to undergo such training, they have to pay all kinds of fees. Here nothing will be charged. Everything will be provided free. Only, we want persons with pure hearts to join the course.”

Today we have quite a large number of people working in our hospital. But, there is more work to be done because of the ever-growing number of patients seeking relief. Hence, we need many more nursing personnel. We are asking for nurses not for Swami’s sake but for the sake of the nation.”

Bhagawan always said that in the sacred land of Bharath, when anyone thinks a good thought, the Universe rushes in to fulfill it. In this case, while He could have easily willed a Nursing College into existence, He invested love, time and energy into this project, which resulted in the starting of the Nursing College at SSSIHMS-Whitefield on 1-Sep-2008 and culminating in the inauguration of the new Nursing College Block on 19-Jan-2024 fifteen years later.

Following are a few features of the new Nursing College Block, inaugurated by the Honourable Deputy CM of Karnataka, Sri D.K. Shivakumar:

• Area: 23,200 sft
• Classrooms: 4 nos, with 60 seating capacity •Labs: 6 nos. 1. Pre-clinical Science Lab 2. Child Health Nursing Lab 3. Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing Lab 4. Community Health Nursing & Nutrition Lab 5. Computer Lab 6. Nursing Foundation, including Adult Health Nursing & Advance Nursing Lab

The Origin Story of the SSSIHMS College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences:

The block features a large quadrangle with fresh sunlight streaming in, illuminating the area.

There have been numerous individuals handpicked by Bhagawan over the years to see this project come to fruition. He started talking to Ms. Sheela Nayak, a longtime devotee from the US, about the need to set up a school for training nurses. He seemed to channel her inner desire to empower women into this noble profession. For Swami, purity of heart and a strong will are far more important than educational qualifications. While her area of expertise was early childhood education, Bhagawan chose her to speak to about setting up a training facility for nurses.

She has since been involved in getting the first batch of 22 nursing students trained in a private Institution in 2007 and posted at SSSIHMS-Whitefield. The support rendered by an alumnus of the Anantapur campus, Smt. Aruna Pradeep, based in Hyderabad, in identifying the students is worth mentioning. Swami had blessed the students with an hour-long interview, before they joined the course.

Another instrument in the setting up of the Nursing College is an alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Praveen Vemula, currently serving as the Spl. Asst. to the Director, SSSIHMS-Whitefield. He was studying in the Primary School at Prasanthi Nilayam, and heard the Gurupoornima discourse directly from Bhagawan. Several years passed before he was handpicked by Bhagawan to do his Masters in Public Health with Healthcare Administration Major at Loma Linda University, USA.

He recollects the moment in 2006, when the ball started rolling in the project to start a Nursing College. “I just entered my office, when I heard Swami’s ‘92 Gurupoornima discourse play over the WorldSpace radio, at the exact portion where Swami spoke in His discourse about setting up training facilities.”

On Sai Sannidhi day in September, 2006, he sought Bhagawan’s permission to start nursing and paramedical courses in SSSIHMS-Whitefield, which He readily agreed to. Subsequently, in early 2008, Dr. A.S. Hegde, the Director of SSSIHMS-Whitefield at the time took the proposal to Swami. Swami said that you should get a good principal and start the college. He then arranged for meeting the officials of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bangalore and the formal application process began. Applications were submitted to start courses in B.Sc Nursing, Cardiac Care Technology, Perfusion Technology, Anaesthesia Technology, Imaging Technology and Medical Laboratory Technology.

At a human level, Bhagawan appeared pleased with the pace at which the work was going on to fulfill His Sankalpa of providing training facilities for nurses, to bolster the volume of surgical workload carried out in Sai hospitals.

The project took off on full steam, and within a span of a few months, on 1-Sep-2008, the Nursing College was inaugurated. His Divine Hand was seen in every aspect of the project, be it getting the necessary approvals from the University or the Government.

Smt. Manjuri and Smt. Rupa Devi had applied to join the College, in response to an advertisement in the Sanathana Sarathi. After the interview process, their applications were blessed by Bhagawan and Smt. Manjuri was appointed as the Principal for the Nursing College, a post she continues to hold now for 15 years.

Soon after the College started functioning, Bhagawan sent a few elders to start the Education in Human Values (EHV) program in the Nursing College, making it perhaps the only healthcare Institution, which has a value-based education and self-development curriculum, along with the clinical curriculum. The students are also trained in singing bhajans with devotion and Vedam chanting.

Though the college is affiliated to the RGUHS, Bhagawan allowed the Nursing & AHS students to participate in the Annual Sports & Cultural Meet of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, held on 11-Jan of every year.

After their contractual work period of 3 years after the program, the Nursing and AHS students are all very well placed, with the majority of them serving in India, and a good percentage of them serving in other countries in the middle-east, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

The students have earned a good name for themselves and their Alma mater, even during their clinical postings. One of the senior administrators of a psychiatric hospital remarked how he looks forward to receiving nursing students from the Institute as part of their clinical posting. “Through their love and affection towards the patients, and soulful bhajans, they transform the mood of the whole Institution during their period of stay. Their good nature, smiling demeanor, professional expertise, inquiring minds speak volumes about the value-based education they received at SSSIHMS College of Nursing,” he mentioned.

We pray to Bhagawan to bless the Nursing College, and the staff with the strength, courage and will to provide value-based education to the nursing students, who will serve the Nation to the best of their abilities.

Mano Hriday (MH): Sai Ram Ms. Nayak. Could you please share how you came to Swami?

Sheela Nayak (SN): Sai Ram. I first saw Swami in 1972, when I was 31 years old. I had gone to India, and my sisters, who were already visiting Swami, wanted me to see Him. I did not know anything about Swami at the time. During the interview He blessed me with, He asked me, “What do you want?” and my mind went blank. I mentioned I wanted to return to India after my studies and He said, “No, stay where you are!” And He showed His hand with five fingers and said, “In five years, East will be like West and West will be like East. Stay there.” That was my first conversation with Baba.

Since then, I completed my Bachelors and Masters in early childhood education and have been in the US ever since.

MH: Could you narrate any experiences from your first few visits to Prasanthi Nilayam?

SN: Sure. While working with young children, my health condition required I had to take a flu shot every year, which I did not like doing. However, after the first darshan of Swami, I realized my immunity got a boost that I never had to take the shot again.

I am an asthmatic and prone to frequent attacks. During my second visit to Prasanthi in 1976, I stood outside the mandir, as I felt the onset of an attack and did not want to disturb the other devotees. I was filming Swami with a video camera and, believe it or not, Swami came outside and stood right in front of me and raised His hand in blessing. It’s entirely His Grace that I did not have an asthma attack since then.

MH: And how did your involvement in the Sai centres in the US begin?

SN: My parents were instrumental in this. During their visit to the US, they wanted to visit the local Sai centre, which happened to be the first centre in the US. I was reluctant to enter the centre, but circumstances worked out such a way that I met the Centre head, who hailed from Karnataka. He struck up a conversation with me and enquired about my husband, Ramesh, who was working in Kuwait at the time. He (the Centre head) insisted that we should stay together and suggested I bring Ramesh’s CV to him. Within a few weeks of having done that, Ramesh, who did his Ph.D in Cell Biology, miraculously received an interview call from the National Institute of Health, USA. He took up the job, and served the NIH for over 30 years. This is how we, as a couple, started our family in the US.

By now, Swami’s presence had suffused our lives and I have been witness to the openings of the first few Sai centres in the US.

MH: Please tell us about the first assignment Swami gave you. SN: In 1981, the Centre head wanted me to organize a trip to Puttaparthi for Swami’s darshan. I did all the necessary background work to facilitate the trip. During the visit, Swami gave us an interview, and during the interview, told me, “Bring groups!” Since then, it became my responsibility to organize trips for Swami’s devotees to Prasanthi Nilayam.

MH: In due course, you were appointed as the Regional Service Coordinator, right? Please share what Swami mentioned to you after you took up this role?

SN: I was very happy to work as a volunteer in any activity, and it was at the insistence of the Centre Head that I took up a formal role of a service coordinator. During the next visit to Parthi, when Swami came closer, and I happened to apprise him about this appointment, He said, “You and I will work together”.

Ms. Sheela Nayak is a Swami’s devotee hailing from Karnataka, who went to the US for her education. Swami entered her life over half a century ago, and it was on His advice that she settled down in the USA. She pursued early childhood education as her profession. While in the US, at the insistence of her parents, she visited the first US Sai Centre, and since then, she has seen the Sai movement expand in the US. On Swami’s instructions, she has been instrumental in bringing groups of devotees from the US to Prasanthi Nilayam and Whitefield for Swami’s Darshan.

Another blessing Swami bestowed on her is to make her an Instrument in the setting up of the Nursing College at SSSIHMS-Whitefield. In our conversation with Ms. Nayak, she shares her experiences with Swami and also about her role in the setting up of the college.

Since then, I can’t tell you the number of new projects I was involved in, but it was due to His grace and assurance that all those projects were successful.

MH: When did Swami first talk to you about nursing? SN: I honestly don’t recall, but whenever in Parthi, I used to volunteer in the Westerners’ Canteen. My friends used to keep a place for me in Darshan, so I could quickly come sit, after working in the canteen. It was one of those days that Swami started talking to me about nursing education. He said, “Nurses graduate from school and go to Saudi and Dubai. We must start it here”

I was clueless because I wasn’t a nurse and I did not even have a nurse in my friends circle!

During my many visits to Parthi, whenever Swami used to speak to me, it would almost always be about nursing and nurse training. At times, I was completely at a loss what I am supposed to do, as I did not have any background.

However, in due course, based on His guidance, we formed a group of 22 students with various backgrounds, who were willing to undergo a B.Sc Nursing program and were committed to work for three years at SSSIHMS. They underwent a 4-year program in a hospital close to SSSIHMS-Whitefield.

After this was settled, Swami still continued to talk to me about nursing. During one of the interactions, He said, “We should have our own nursing school.”

The following year, around 2007-08, Swami told me during Darshan that He would be starting a Nursing College set up in Karnataka. I was blessed by Him to play a small role in the setting up the Nursing College at SSSIHMS-Whitefield, which I am happy to hear, has now completed 15 years in existence.

MH: Swami had first spoke about nurse training in 1992 during His Guru Poornima message on 14-Jul-92. Would you recall this?

SN: No, I do not remember, but Swami used to talk to me about nurses all the time, so much so that people, who were witness to His interactions with me, used to enquire if I was a doctor or at least a nurse!

MH: Could you share about the miracle of the books for the nursing college?

SN: During the inception of the Nursing College, we were trying to put together the list of relevant textbooks and other training material, which could be placed in the College library. It was around the same time I was approached by a local book store, which was closing down and requested if we could use some of the books available with them. It was His Grace that many of them were exactly the books we were looking for.

Now that the books were available, we were looking to see how to ship them. Since I was already bringing groups of people to Parthi, I requested for volunteers, who could carry them in their suitcases. Almost everyone agreed to pack their clothes in only one suitcase, and we were able to ship 21 suitcases of books, free of cost.

MH: What is the message you wish to share with the nursing students and faculty?

SN: I have no message, other than to do what Baba would expect of each one of them.

MH: Could you share how this project has impacted you as a person?

SN: My dream has always been to empower women and have them rise in life. I consider it a blessing that Swami has fulfilled my dream in a way that I myself cannot imagine.

It is the omnipresent and omnipotent Swami, who creates the circumstances and provides us opportunities to serve Him, keeping in mind our individual traits and skills. I consider this interaction a blessing, that had me relive all my experiences with Him. I am deeply grateful to Him for the opportunity that He has blessed me with.

Mano Hriday (MH): Could you please share a little bit about your family background and the path, which led you to become a neurosurgeon?

Dr. Ravindra Goyal (RG): Sai Ram. I was brought up in India. My father was a surgeon and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I worked hard to get selected to the same Medical College in Lucknow, where my father graduated from. I did post graduation in surgery. As a general surgeon, I had a fascination for Neurosurgery. I got an opportunity to go to U.K. and there I trained in Neurosurgery and also did post-graduation earning prestigious degrees viz FRCS from London and FRCS from Edinburgh.

At that time in UK the posts for Consultants in Neurosurgery were limited, hence I moved to USA instead of waiting my turn in UK. In USA, I passed my American Board exam in Neuro Surgery and was in solo practice for over three decades. I held faculty positions of Academic Institutions as well until I retired in 2011. All these years, I remained Director of Neuro Sciences of the Regional Medical Center until retirement in 2011.

MH: When did you first come into Swami’s fold? Please share any personal experiences you and your wife have had

with Swami. RG: We were following Shirdi Baba until Swami got us into His fold. In 1996, Rashmi had a series of dreams, where Swami gives her keys to His own room. Our first visit to Parthi was in 1997 and we both witnessed His miracles.

During His discourse I kept saying in my mind why we were both seated separately. A volunteer comes and tells me, “You are from USA. Go and sit in the temple after discourse“.

At the temple, while I was meditating with eyes closed, the gentleman who we had brought with us to help taps on my shoulder to indicate, “Madam is sitting next to you”. I had no idea how Rashmi came and sat there and she did not see that I was sitting next to her!

She had another miracle. We doubted if Sai Baba and Shirdi Baba were the same. One lady from South America meets her and shows her a photo of Sai Baba which changed into Shirdi Baba.

MH: Could you share how you got involved volunteering at SSSIHMS-Whitefield first as a neurosurgeon, and then as a faculty in the continuous training program for nurses?

RG: By 2007, we have had many experiences and many visits to Parthi. I was also given the designation of Honorary Consultant by Dr Hegde.

I started my annual mission trips to SSSIHMS, assisting in surgeries and teaching residents and also nurses. Before one such trip, a surgical rep in the US learnt that I volunteer in a hospital, which is totally free for patients and gives me surgical equipment and drills to be taken to SSSIHMS. He also introduced me to two big surgical vendors and lo and behold, these companies donate equipment worth $100,000 each for my mission trip! This is how the mission trips with equipment came into being.

During the mission trips I was teaching the nurses and then Sister Vasanthi asked me to do a regular workshop each time I am in Whitefield. This gradually evolved into an online course, when Alpa Uchil and I joined forces and then by all consent, it became a Certification Course.

We get Swami’s blessing, when we see Vibhuti on the certificates.

MH: On behalf of your wife, please share her experience as a psychiatrist, volunteering at SSSIHMS-Whitefield during

your visits to India. RG: Rashmi has been impressed with the nurses and the technicians that she talked to, by their keenness to learn and feel confident. Though these girls were a little reluctant to ask questions, Rashmi reassured them to be more assertive.

Dr. Ravindra Goyal, MBBS, MS, FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Ed), FACS, Diplomate American College of Neurosurgeons, and his wife, Dr. Rashmi Goyal, MBBS, DGO, MS have been visiting Prasanthi Nilayam since 1997.

Though he is now retired, he has ‘re-tired’ himself in serving the Institute through his active participation in the nursing education programs at the Institute.

At age 87, he is a bundle of energy and devotion to Swami. We are pleased to share the conversation we had with him.

MH: As a neurosurgeon, how was your experience serving at SSSIHMS?

RG: I have been in awe to see the technical skills of the residents and staff at SSSIHMS and I have been humbled. They are doing surgeries once a week, that I get to do once in a year!

MH: You have also been part of many medical missions conducted at the Institute, supported by healthcare companies. Share your experiences of the impact it has had

on you. RG: I have been terribly impressed by the USA companies and their willingness to give free donations of equipment, even after my retirement, without asking any questions or checking my credentials and so on.

MH: How have you been engaged in envisioning, creating and running the continuous nurse education (CNE)

program for the nursing staff at SSSIHMS-Whitefield. RG: The CNE originally started on a very small scale. Sister Vasanthi, the nursing supdt., gave me a list of topics and I delivered a talk. This gradually evolved and Srikrishna, the Accreditation Manager formalized the course and got Alpa of Johns Hopkins into the loop. Alpa and I had an excellent relationship and therefore the Certification course took a big leap. Alpa has a lot to do in running this program. She has been working very hard to coordinate the classes, arrange the platform and helping in the grading after the exam. I ended up designing the 100 MCQs for the exam.

MH: I believe you are 87 years old, but living a very active life, serving your community. Please share a little about the activities you are engaged in, your intention and the

message you would like to leave for the younger generation. RG: Yes, you are right. I am 87 years old now. Swami has been taking such good care of me and my wife. I have had so many experiences that I can write a book. He keeps guiding me on minute details. After retirement, Rashmi and I are spending time in golf, tennis and croquet and spending time with grand kids.

Once I moved to this gated community in Florida, USA, I spoke to the President and requested him if we can find residents of this community, who are willing to donate their time to help. I gave my name so anyone can call me to ask a medical question and I would be happy to guide them.

On another front, I have visited many of my friends in their home to check their medical status, review their MRI or other tests and gave my medical opinion.

Whether it is golf, tennis or croquet or social gathering, we can always look for opportunity to serve.

If our focus is to SERVE in any way, we cannot go wrong. This is how we are enjoying our “Last Chapter”.

MH: The College of Nursing completes 15 years. What is your message for the current batch of students, and also your vision for its future?

RG: Interestingly on one of my visits Madam Principal, Director and I had a joint meeting which led to the development of the Students course and this has been very well received by the Nursing Faculty and the students. I am very impressed by the enthusiasm as well.

Moreover, the faculty has made this into a continuous education rather than a certification, which gives them more emphasis to learn.

In my experience teaching nurses in the US, I noticed their main weakness is Neuro. I am very happy, training the students in Neurosciences, as this would give them an edge over other nursing students. I wish them well.

On 19-Jan-2024, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences completed 23 years in the service of the Nation. This year also marks the re-birth of the SSSIHMS College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences, with the inauguration of the new Nursing College block.

The Institute and the new Nursing College block wore a festive look, with colorful buntings and floral decoration. The program started at 3.30 pm, with the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri D.K. Shivakumar, being welcomed by the Trustees of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and the Principal and the Nursing faculty at the SSSIHMS College of Nursing for the inauguration. After going around the facilities, the DCM was escorted to the Screening Block for the formal proceedings.

Dr. Manjjuri, Principal, SSSIHMS CON & AHS, welcomed the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Dy. CM, Sri D.K. Shivakumar, spoke on the occasion stressing that Swami’s vision of service will continue forever in this Institute. He gave his assurance of being available to support the Institute at all times. Dr. D.C. Sundaresh, Director thanked the Deputy CM for sparing his valuable time to attend the program. Sri S.S. Naganand, Trustee, SSSCT, shared his interactions with Bhagawan before the construction of SSSIHMS began. Smt. Niveditha, from the Nursing College delivered the vote of thanks to conclude the program.

The cultural program started in the evening, with Vedam chanting, followed by a talk by Smt. Deepa, Controller-Finance & Accounts of SSSIHMS. This was followed by a dance by Sai Nursery children, followed by a cultural program titled “Tales of a Mystic Temple” by the Bal Vikas children from the SSSIHMS-Whitefield Samithi. As it became dark, the beauty of the Hospital architecture, enhanced with colorful flood lights, gave it an ethereal look. The program concluded with Arathi and dinner. The day served as an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to Bhagawan’s Healthcare Mission and be role models to the world, in providing high quality healthcare totally free of cost.

Ms. Alpa Uchil is a CRNP (Certified Registered Nurse

Practitioner) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA. She is currently serving in the ALS Clinic, providing both clinical care and clinical trials. She has been in Swami’s fold since 2002. Since 2009, she has been involved with the nurse education programs at both SSSIHMS-Whitefield and Prasanthigram. We had a chance to converse with Alpa and the following is a transcript of the conversation:

Mano Hriday (MH): Please share your professional

background for the benefit of our audience. Alpa Uchil (AU): I am a board Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, with Master of Public Health and Master of Science degrees. My nursing career started 22 years ago at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland as a registered nurse. My role and scope broadened after completing formal education to certify as a CRNP in 2019. For the last 12 years, I have been with the Johns Hopkins ALS Clinic providing both clinical care and clinical trials for patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS).

MH: Could you narrate how you came into Swami’s fold? AU: My father passed away when my brother and I were teenagers. This was in East Africa where we lived. Due to this grief, my mother started seeking answers as to why this happened. One day, after many visits to several spiritual centers, she and my brother were drawn to bhajans coming from a house in the neighborhood. They walked into what they later found to be a Sai center, and with Swami’s grace they were both drawn in. After my father’s passing, I came to the US for undergraduate studies. When my mother visited me in the US, she wanted to go to a Sai center. I found one and took her there. While sitting for bhajans, a sense of familiarity appeared. This familiarity and consequent learning of Swami’s teachings drove me closer to Swami. The chance to understand and continue to be in Swami’s fold increased after my marriage (husband is an alumnus of SSSIHL).

MH: Please share how you got involved in the continuous

nurse training programs at SSSIHMS Whitefield. AU: During my visit to India in December 2009, I was given the opportunity to give a talk on infection control to the nurses at SSSIHMS Whitefield. At that time, we also conducted training sessions for BLS CPR for staff. The collaboration continued in sharing infection control protocols and being part of a team that was spearheading the creation of a formal nursing training program for Continuing Nursing Education (CNE). In the process of coordinating this effort, I was introduced to Dr. Ravindra Goyal. His volunteer work with SSSIHMS Whitefield had involved teaching neurological topics to nurses, working with neurosurgery residents, and assisting in the Operating Room. Given our mutual interest in training nurses, we collaborated and created the Foundations and Critical Care Course. This course was delivered over Skype and in batches to cover all nurses from February to June 2011. In 2012, as part of the CNE program and based on topics requested by nurse in-charge Ms. Vasanthi Rukmaya DNS and Mr. Srikrishna at the time, Dr. Ravindra Goyal and I covered about 20 topics for nurses via Skype. For the next few years, several series of talks were delivered virtually and in-person on neurological management, special 1-hour session on Parkinson’s Disease, safe injection techniques, medication management, falls prevention, and patient safety. In 2015, Ms. Vasanthi Rukmaya DNS and I worked on a Nursing Manual for Protocols and Procedures.

In 2016 the Neuro Critical Care Certificate Program took shape. The goal of this program was to empower the nurses to critically think and be ready for any situation at the bedside. With the help of Vasanthi Rukmaya, Dr. Goyal and I designed the course to include a presentation on 13 core neuro topics, followed by a written examination. This course has continued and about 138 nurses have been trained thus far.

In 2020, with Vasanthi’s vision for nursing students, Dr. Goyal and I were introduced to SSSIHMS College of Nursing Principal Dr. Manjjuri. The goal of this program was to equip nursing students with clinical skills to link to theory obtained in their college coursework. Hence a new program called Introduction to Clinical Neurosciences for 3rd year nursing students was started. The Principal declared that this course and exam would count toward the student’s internal assessment, accounting for 25% of their grade for the Nursing College curriculum for the academic year. This course was repeated in 2023.

In 2021, Dr. Goyal suggested a new initiative. Nurses were asked to present a neurological case after which Dr. Goyal prepared and presented material on that condition, including diagnosis and patient management.

The purpose of the CNE program is to update nurses on the most recent guidelines and best practices so the patients receive the highest quality care. The tasks of creating the program, finding faculty, discovering ways to conduct classes remotely, availability of the nurses outside of their assigned shift times, technology assistance, and approval from the Director are all required to make this program a success. Everyone at SSSIHMS has supported the birth and life of this program, and I pray Swami continues to guide us and be with us in this endeavor for a long time.

MH: How do you find the quality of care in Swami’s institutions, as compared with premier institutions in the world, including Johns Hopkins, where you work?

AU: Swami’s institutions are proof that high quality care and education completely free of cost is absolutely possible. Dr. Sundaresh once told me, “free care does not have to be substandard care”.

The quality of care in Swami’s institution is very high. Access to care is high. What I have noticed is that everyone works hard. For instance, nurses in India do so much more than nurses in the US. They carry responsibilities of ensuring every little detail for the patient is taken care of from the time they enter the hospital to discharge. Every employee puts in their best effort (which can be challenging given the number and expectations of patients coming here for help) to make sure patients are cared for well. The Help Desk program for patient’s entry is an incredible and effective method of triage. Communication with patients is thorough, timely, and above all loving!

These features cannot be found at any premier institutions around the world.

Additionally, the nursing in-charges and the nurse educators at SSSIHMS have a vision for continuing education to ensure nurses are up to date with guidelines and best practices. Without Ms. Vasanthi’s and Ms. Debashree Dash’s (Clinical Nurse Educator at SSSIHMS-Prasanthigram) enthusiasm, clarity, and desire to keep up with healthcare guidelines to optimize care and patient outcomes, the CNE program would not exist. What is driving them? Their efforts to equip nurses shows commitment to the profession and to Swami’s expectation of what it means to deliver the highest quality of healthcare.

MH: Apart from your professional responsibilities in a

highly demanding role, you are also an active Sai worker. How do you manage your time between service and profession?

AU: For me, managing time between service and my profession takes a lot of effort to not listen to the attractive calls of procrastination. The mind thinks it is acceptable to delay a voluntary activity but the mind can also be made to think productively! Though I am not always successful, I try to practise listening to the latter more.

Some aspects that have helped me manage my time between service and my profession include prioritizing tasks like patient concerns, projects with a deadline, importance of spiritual study, and keeping in mind that there is someone depending on you to do your part whether it is service or work.

It has been Swami’s grace alone that I was connected with SSSIHMS. The experience of working in healthcare AND being able to serve in the same field is inexplicable. This fact alone is enough to prompt me to not waste any time when working on any programs at SSSIHMS. Being involved with the Sri Sathya Sai Educare (Balvikas) program at local and regional levels has allowed me to understand the meaning and purpose of Educare. The opportunity to lead children into good ways of living, simplicity, humility, and discipline (Balvikas Gurus Training Camp, June 6 1978) is not one to be wasted. Additionally, interacting with Balvikas gurus and children allows me to learn and gain more clarity in Swami’s teachings. So it’s a win-win situation for me!

MH: You are currently engaged with a nurse certification program at SSSIHMS Prasanthigram. Could you please share more details of the program?

AU: Given the success of the Neuro Critical Care Certificate Program at SSSIHMS Whitefield, I wanted to duplicate this program at SSSIHMS Prasanthigram. Thankfully, I was able to meet with the Director during my visit to Parthi in July 2023 and with Swami’s grace, it was received with a lot of positivity. The first Neuro Critical Care Certificate Program course was conducted virtually in July-August 2023 by me and two colleagues from Johns Hopkins.

In November, we replicated the design of the Neuro course for the Cardiology Department. The effort included gathering a team of cardiology experts willing to put in the time and effort to teach the course early in the morning US time. I started reaching out to some colleagues at Johns Hopkins and through Sai centers, I found a couple of physicians (who have volunteered at SSSIHMS) who showed interest and reached out to their colleagues. With Swami’s grace, the team was formed with one CRNP and five physicians within a few weeks and the first Cardiology Critical Care Certificate Program started on December 14, 2023 and is ongoing virtually currently. Every team member has shown enthusiasm for this effort. One of them even woke up at 3.30AM (local time US) to accommodate nurse’s availability for class and another is visiting Parthi and is scheduled to do his 4 talks in-person. A fine example of Swami working through people.

It is my prayer and vision to see this Certificate Program be duplicated for all departments at SSSIHMS Prasanthigram.

MH: You mentioned to me that there are clinicians on the team you put together, who are not Swami’s devotees, but are going out of their way to support the program. Can you please share what might be their driving force?

AU: About four of them do not know of Swami. It was incredible to see their response when they heard about the program’s purpose and design. When we first met to discuss the program outline, expectations, and the time of class (early morning US time), everyone was on the same page! It was as though they had come to this meeting before! They are all well respected in their profession with years of experience working in academic healthcare settings. Some have participated in teaching missions of their own so perhaps the driving force is the love of teaching. Beyond that, it has to be Swami who put this team together. Otherwise, it is impossible for me to understand how smoothly this team of strangers is working to teach for an institution they had not heard of.

MH: As a practicing nurse professional, how do you integrate Swami’s teachings into your practice?

AU: Working with patients diagnosed with ALS has provided an opportunity to use Swami’s teachings as a lifeline. The facts of karma, the inevitability of death, the reality of action and consequences, and how everything is a passing cloud have all helped me manage this patient population. Understanding how humans process the news of a terminal diagnosis, seeing the emotions on their faces, and helping them make life changing decisions has only been possible because I have Swami.

Whenever possible, I pray at work. Before heading into a family conference to discuss end-of-life decisions, I look at Swami’s photo. When I am injecting an experimental intrathecal drug to a terminal patient over the required 2 minutes, I chant Sai Gayatri. Sometimes I find myself muttering, “Swami be with me, be with them, please help them get through this experience”. This does not happen all the time but when it does, I find the day goes smoother, so I hope I can make this a daily practice.

MH: The Covid pandemic was a stressful time for the whole world, especially nurses. What was your experience being a nurse during that period?

AU: Nurses are the invisible link between the patient and the doctor, the keen observer, the listener, the communicator, the problem solver, the critical thinker, and the loving and compassionate caregiver. I work in an outpatient setting. When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, we closed our clinic for about 2 weeks. After that, we went back to work. Clinic space was adjusted for distancing and we had the equipment we needed, although there was a shortage of masks at some point.

There was a lot of fear. Patients were dying so everyone knew this virus was serious. Nurses, doctors, support staff, patients, and families were all fearful. Besides the fear, nonverbal communication became a huge challenge. Patients could no longer see the nurse’s expressions because of the mask. They had to look at the nurse’s eyes searching for a glimpse of a smile or any warmth in an otherwise morbid world. While the barrier of gown and masks made me feel protected, it made the patient feel isolated and scared. This was a challenge for me. However, the observer, the listener, the communicator, the problem solver, the critical thinker, and the loving and compassionate caregiver persevered. Because we had to take care of patients, we made it work.

Without nurses, the healthcare industry cannot function efficiently or successfully. Their commitment to the profession is strong and if they love what they do, it is

my belief that nursing truly is the best profession.

MH: What is your advice to the current nursing students, on how they should approach their studies and profession in general?

AU: When theory is linked to practice, caregiving becomes informed and well-rounded. When you are knowledgeable about a topic you will be able to explain it better and this will lead to better patient outcomes. Therefore, take good notes, make every effort to understand theory, pay attention during clinical rotations, and ask questions.

SSSIHMS Mission states: “Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield aims to provide free medical care to the sick and ailing with dedication, commitment, love and the best of skills, so that they will be cured in body, mind and spirit. Our Mission is to provide high quality medical care free of charge to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion, and financial status in an atmosphere of love and care”.

Free medical care in an atmosphere of love and care is not found easily. At SSSIHMS, nurses have the great opportunity to use their science, skills, and Swami’s direction on how to truly care for a patient. There cannot be a higher purpose for this profession than this. Connect with your inner self, understand your role and duty in this profession, and transform yourself to an exceptional nurse worthy of Swami’s blessings.

I had the good fortune of knowing Swami since my childhood. My parents brought me to Prasanthi Nilayam for the first time when I was one year old. My parents used to tell me and my sister about Swami & His leelas. At first, I could not relate to the miracles and my mind was confused.

As we grew older, we enrolled in Bal Vikas classes. I used to look forward to these classes. I used to regularly chant all the shlokas that we learnt during the classes. Slowly, but surely, Swami became my best friend.

When I was seven, during the Onam celebrations, I had the opportunity to be part of the welcoming procession for Swami. I recall vividly Swami smiled and gestured to me that He would give His heart to me.

As a 9-year old, I had the good fortune to be part of a dance drama entitled Ambarisha Charitha, in which I enacted the role of Mahavishnu and had the blessed opportunity to offer a rose to Swami.

After my schooling from Kerala, I applied for my graduation at SSSIHMS. In parallel, I applied for my graduation in Kerala too. My prayer to Swami at the time was that I should get admission in a professional program.

As the indweller of my heart, He answered my prayer and I got selected in the Medical Imaging Technology program in the SSSIHMS College of Nursing.

As I was away from home for the first time, the three years of my stay were quite challenging and it took me some time to adjust. Initially, I found it difficult to adjust to the discipline in the hostel. Gradually though, I felt I was transforming into a self-disciplined person. During vacation, when I went home, my parents noticed a lot of positive change in me. Overall, I could sense Swami’s presence and guidance throughout my student life.

After my course completion, I served for three years at SSSIHMS as per the contractual terms. During this period, I faced many challenges, each of which got resolved solely through His Grace. I recall how, during the first year I joined as a staff, I had a medical issue requiring admission in the hospital for more than a month. During this time, Swami came into my dream.and repeated the same gesture about giving His heart to me. I was truly blessed to receive this assurance, which helped me tide over the difficult times.

Though I completed my contract period in 2020, with Swami’s blessings, I am continuing to serve at SSSIHMS.

I am grateful to Swami for giving me a wonderful opportunity to serve Him and am also thankful for each and every one for helping me become a better version of myself.

Haritha S. Nair

B.Sc (Medical Imaging Technology) VII Batch (2014-17)

“Education is not mere knowledge, it includes action, too”

– Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Swami always insisted on quality than quantity, be it in material or spiritual endeavors. He particularly ensured quality reflected in all aspects of His hospitals, be it the architecture, state-of-art equipment, furniture, colors and even uniforms. During the period 2006-2011, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve at SSSIHMS, Whitefield as Manager-Quality and Accreditation. During this period, I worked with both clinical and operations teams under the leadership of Dr A S Hegde, Director, and Dr Michael Rakoff, a visiting consultant.

SSSIHMS-Whitefield was already offering DNB courses in several specialties; however, we did not have a formal program for the nursing staff. With over 200 nurses working at the hospital and doctors performing complex surgeries and procedures across neuro & cardiac departments, the Director expressed the need for a training program focused on Critical Care Nursing (CCN).

Whenever we want to start something good, Swami always helps. He bought together a stellar team of visiting doctors from the US including Dr. Sivakumar, Dr. Ravindra Goyal and Ms. Alpa Uchil to design and deliver a Critical Care Nursing Certificate program for the working nurses at the Hospital.

The program was designed with the focus on improving critical care nursing in cardiac and neuro surgical ICU/ CCUs. The training strategy was hybrid, with regular weekly online classes and in-person training by doctors and nurses using simulators and case studies. The hospital was already well connected to the Internet, and had a full-fledged Learning Management Systems (LMS), augmented with computer labs for simultaneous online assessments.

Any organizational change is faced with apprehension, fear and resistance. So it was in this case, as the CCN-Program was aimed at senior nursing staff with over 10-12 years of experience. For them, going through a course, was difficult to commit to, along with their existing workload.

The leader always leads from the front, and so was Ms. Vasanthi, Deputy Nursing Superintendent at that time. She had several sessions with senior staff to convince them to sign-up for this program. Many were reluctant, but in the end 15 nurses signed up for the program.

The online classes were very interactive and Ms. Alpa made it very interesting for them. Visiting doctors helped them with practical problems, signs, and symptoms to look for. Slowly, but surely the nurses started to warm up to the program and participated wholeheartedly. At the end of the 6-month program, it was decided to conduct a formal assessment.

There was much worry among the nurses about the outcomes. The exam dates were finalized, revisions sessions were conducted; a few nurses did group studies, and it was a challenge they took seriously. As the facilitators of the program, seeing the efforts they were putting in, we were sure that they would come out in flying colors and as expected all scored very good marks.

To commemorate the successful completion of the first batch of CCN at SSSIHMS-Whitefield, the program was acknowledged by the Director, Heads of Departments, and the visiting faculty. Eventually, these nurses were promoted, based on the passing criteria.

Staff at Swami’s hospital exhibit love and compassion to patients all the time and to see these senior nurses fight their apprehensions, fear and undertake a high-visibility program, was very heartwarming, commendable and a beautiful experience for all those involved.

Learning and improvement is a continuous process both in life and career. I consider it a blessing of Swami that I got an opportunity to play a small part in His Divine Mission.

Srikrishna Seshadri

Healthcare Consultant-Products & Platform Alumnus, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (M.Sc. Chemistry)

Served at SSSIHMS-Whitefield from 2001-11 (Manager-Quality & Accreditation)

Every child dreams of what they would want to become as they grow up. For the longest time, I wanted to practice medicine. While my hopes of pursuing medicine came crashing soon after my class XII board exams, I was delighted to find myself at SSSIHMS, Bengaluru – a Temple of Healing, that was very soon to become my Altar of Learning too.

While education gives you a head start to build your career, many of life’s precious lessons come from the relationships you foster, acknowledging differing perspectives, remaining humble and willing to unlearn.

The Institute is not just the brick & mortar structure one sees; it houses healing, compassion, and knowledge. I was overwhelmed and grateful to Swami for giving me the opportunity to benefit from this abundance. The four years I spent at the Institute gave me a head start in my career and also shaped me to become the person I am.

Being the first batch at the Institute, we saw everyone at the Institute and even the larger Sai fraternity come and put together a delivery structure for our curriculum.

A stepping stone to the world of healthcare

The clinical exposure at the Institute is unparalleled to any in the world. Patients flock from across the country to get healed, with diseases of different kinds and varying degrees. Along with clinical details, you also learn hope and trust, the kind that leaves you inspired for life. With stress dominating the lives of most people today, these are two key facets all of us can richly benefit from.

I understood responsibility, humility, patience, kindness– virtues that are difficult to teach or learn–at this Institute. Every trip to Parthi gave us an opportunity to be in Swami’s physical presence. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had His Darshan for almost the entirety of my course.

Working in the corporate business world is not a cakewalk. It tests one’s discipline, integrity, problem-handling skills, and consistency. GE Healthcare gave me my first corporate experience. The opportunity to work there presented itself because of my engagement with the Institute. While it was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the latest technology and provide chances to participate in national & international conferences, there was an incredible amount of travel and work stress, specific to business environment.

Building blocks of a great organization

I personally learnt how I can contribute to a new enterprise, initially bootstrapping and leveraging existing resources, multi-tasking, finding opportunities to learn and contribute parallelly in functions new to me. To me, GenWorks was that perfect launchpad; we had the network of GE Healthcare to take support from and the committed minds of the sixty individuals who took the plunge to join GenWorks. I worked across Marketing, Sales, Product management, Administration & Cost Control, Enterprise Business Development, Org Transformation and Human Resources over the last 9 years.

Some efforts leave a bigger impact on us than what we can fathom; this I realized when I started working at GenWorks. What I saw the entire society do at SSSIHMS, prepared me for an experience such as GenWorks.

What organizations do as Corporate Social Responsibility – SSSIHMS & all of Swami’s organizations do as their Seva to humankind; if you’ve felt benefited from this benevolence, you’ll always want to give back. I found harmony in believing a day’s effort done in earnest would eventually add up to help save precious lives. I was, after all, working to improve heart health across the country from the grassroots.

I believe in creating value for patients by focusing on preventive health, early screening and wellness, and for doctors to improve clinical outcomes and workflow.

The last decade that I have spent working at GE Healthcare and then at Genworks have given me immense learning, success, and opportunities. I personally credit this to my upbringing at the Institute.

A legacy of dedication and a proud community

Lastly, this Institute wouldn’t be what it is, if not for the people who make it and call it their home – all my teachers, seniors, and staff at the Institute – who gave me & my batch mates – the experience of a lifetime. We learned, laughed, celebrated, ate, sang, and prayed together. I was blessed to have known so many people at the institute – the Department of Cardiology in particular – and each one of them helped me become a better person. I shall always strive to be a better mentor to everyone in my function and give newcomers a chance to grow, just like how I was blessed to receive.

The bond of sisterhood we kindled within the hallowed walls of the hostel was one for a lifetime. It shall always be a home to every girl, and with a loving warden, you can never miss family for long.

A degree – you can get at any institute, but education that is holistic – I cannot fathom there would be any Institute other than Swami’s!

Archana Balaji Director – Org Transformation GenWorks Health Pvt. Ltd. 1st batch - B.Sc. Cardiac Care Technology (Gold medalist)

At the outset, I wish to share what a great pleasure and privilege it has been to work as a Nursing Superintendent at both SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram & Whitefield.

It was in 1992, that Swami selected me as a Nursing Superintendent and advised me to start nursing training program that very year. Since then, with Bhagawan’s blessings and guidance, four batch of nurses were trained at SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram campus over a one-year period (6 months theory and 6 months practical). After one year,

Working in healthcare sector taught me the invaluable lessons of compassion and empathy. Understanding and connecting with patients on a personal level is crucial for providing holistic care.

My passion for the nursing profession stems from a desire to make a positive impact on the lives of my patients. I believe Nursing is the best profession for serving humanity without discrimination. I always care about prompt responses and enjoyed educating the patient, family and staff. Thanks to my my past roles, I acquired decades of experience in the field of Nursing Administration and hospital ward management.

My journey with Baba started when I was in Manipal hospital in the year 1999, working with an Oncologist. I happened to see Baba’s photo in his clinic and he shared his experiences with him. From then on, I used to contemplate on Baba. This was a few months before the inauguration of SSSIHMS-Whitefield in January, 2001. I applied and attended the job interview. I was very impressed with the infrastructure, the noble vision and mission of Swami and prayed to Him to give me an opportunity to serve Him for a long time to come.

I got the offer letter, and I consider myself blessed to have served till I retired from service in 2022.

Working at SSSIHMS, provided me with valuable experiences in planning, organizing, developing and implementing Nursing services at the hospital. As a DNS, my duties included overseeing efficient and evidence-based care, continuing nursing education with close cooperation with the Director and other departmental staff. I was provided the best working conditions and environment to deliver my assigned job.

During my tenure, I learnt discipline and the value of zero wastage in all aspects. I gained skills such as management ability, honesty, initiative, empathy, motivation, and team work. The hospital’s main priorities were best practices, based on evidence and following set protocols at all times, contributing to a positive environment. I have seen here that nurses are always smiling, there is no stress seen in their faces.

Staying on campus, I benefited from my participation in many spiritual activities on campus.

CNE PROGRAM AND VISITING FACULTY:

The CNE Program commence in the year 2008. The visiting faculty played a crucial role in updating and improving nurses’ knowledge and skills, keeping up with Swami’s ideal healthcare principles.

Dedicated international faculties like Dr. Ravindra Goyal, Ms. Alpa Uchil, Dr. Michael Rakoff instilled knowledge and skills in nurses, contributing to their clinical knowledge. Projects such as nursing manual for protocols and procedures, workshops, CPR training, and neuro critical care training were conducted with the help of these faculties.

With help from Ms. Alpa Uchil, from Johns Hopkins, USA, protocols based on evidence based practices from renowned hospitals around the world were adopted. The visiting faculty conducted the classes along with case studies. Their they would be allocated to various departments, based on Bhagawan’s advice.

I invite the new nursing students to develop their skill and knowledge and pursue this noble profession in this Temple of Healing and take care of the patients and their family with love and compassion.

After finishing the course, they will find themselves fit to serve their family and the society in all respects. All the best to them for joining this noble profession. The motto of the Sai Institutions is not financial gain, but professional development and it is an honour to be part of Swami’s Healthcare Mission.

I am very thankful to Swami for choosing me as a mentor in His Mission.

Col. Rajalakshmi

Rtd. Nursing Superintendent dedication to teach nurses was very inspiring. They, along with Dr. Michael Rackoff, taught nurses the foundations of nursing, CPR and Neuro-critical care. Most of the classes were conducted from USA via skype. After classes, exams were conducted and certificates were given to all participants.

The Director was fully supportive of the programs, which equipped the staff with the best skills and tools to carry out their primary responsibility of patient care.

The visiting faculty were also happy to teach the nurses at Swami’s hospitals. They expressed that training program for the nurses working in Swami’s hospital is a source of great inspiration and joy.

That the training is ongoing is a testament of Swami’s love for humanity and high quality of work. I pray Swami that the CNE program continues and inspires others to provide quality nursing care to the patients in the best possible way. The Vision for nursing care at Swami’s Hospital involves Swami’s principles of health care, along with evidence-based care to the sick and needy, aiming to heal the patient’s body, mind and soul. The unique culture at SSSIHMS, characterized by smiling nurses, empathy and focus on education and learning, sets it apart from other organizations.

I always believed that patients are our guests and the hospital is our home, emphasizing the importance of

treating patients satisfactorily. In this, staff satisfaction is critical and contributes to raising the standards in Nursing care.

During the pandemic, for almost two years, the team of nurses, doctors and other support staff provided a yeoman service for the Covid positive patients, in spite of the health risks included. It was a challenging time, and it was with everyone’s devotion that we were able to reach the goal successfully in treating the patients.

In conclusion, SSSIHMS-Whitefield provides a good culture, job satisfaction, work-life balance, promotions, salary benefits, career growth, job training and over all cleanliness and neatness. It is an atmosphere of love and care contributing to the hospitals reputation for providing quality health care.

I am very grateful and thankful to Bhagawan Baba and the Institution for providing an opportunity to serve the mankind as a professional nurse.

Vasanthi R.P. Rtd. Nursing Superintendent

Pappu Kanp, or Pappu as we called him affectionately, came to us in a really bad physical and mental state.

He was born to a hardworking gentleman of a humble background, earning his living as a truck driver. He is the youngest of the three children. He had a lot of responsibility on his tiny shoulders with only months away from the board exams.

A playful but studious child, he described how he first realized the problem, when he was unable to kick the football. Later this affected his ability to grip a pen. He gradually started losing power in his legs and hands over the period of three years.

The subtle signs of weakness was mistaken by the local physicians for a muscle spasm. His confidence started waning day by day, and it reached a time in June, 2023 that he was confined to bed and needed his parents help for basic activities like food or wearing clothes. Local doctors were consulted upon repeatedly and this time he was diagnosed with proximal myopathy, a condition that affects skeletal muscles that attach to and moves our bones.

His general condition worsened, the body became frail with every passing day and he started having difficulty breathing. He started gasping for air and that rang an alarm in the scared household. He was taken to a nearby neurologist, who ordered an MRI of the spine. There was a delay in getting it done due to financial constraints.

Once done, the MRI revealed a tumor inside the spinal cord, controlling the motor, respiratory and bladder functions; extending an enormous length of 60 cm, right from brainstem in the head to upper back region. The fear struck parents, with no funds to get even the MRI scan, were suddenly required to pay Rs. 15 lakh for surgery. Each passing moment was hell and their hopes became bleaker by the passing day. One day, a relative informed them about the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital, offering advanced neurosurgery services for free.

He came with almost no power in the upper limbs and minimal movements against the gravity in the lower limbs. He required multiple pauses for completing simple sentences because of air hunger. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. The preoperative blood parameters and respiratory function were optimized. He was taken up for the excision of the lesion. A laminoplasty was done using the state-of-the-art bone CUSA machine, which means the posterior part of spine had to be cut to reach the tumour with minimal bone loss and reattached back after tumour excision. With improved neurophysiological monitoring techniques and vast experience of Dr Sumit Thakar, consultant neurosurgeon, in treating these kinds of lesions, which arise directly in the center of the spinal cord, requiring an incision over the posterior part of spinal cord, the tumour was removed totally from its cranial to caudal extent.

Post-operatively, he could not be weaned off the ventilator and had to undergo a tracheostomy for airway protection after surgery. The fight against, time which started three years back was finally over, but now the fight was much bigger for Pappu - the fight for functionality. He was started on rigorous physiotherapy and after a difficult period of two months, he was weaned off the ventilator.

The struggle was not over yet; the trial to remove the tracheostomy tube failed multiple times. To avoid any complications arising from the same at home or during travel he was discharged with the tracheostomy tube. He regained almost 50-60% power in his both upper and lower limbs and was taking feeds orally. His willpower to fight back the disease made him do the impossible, by not only avoiding the mortality associated with such tumors but also by regaining adequate neurological capability. They had exhausted all the savings and had no money for the suction apparatus or the wheelchair or the train tickets. The benevolence of the staff was evident again and through anonymous donations of good Samaritans, everything was arranged.

The fight wasn’t over yet and the train journey was the most treacherous one. The secretions can block the tube and choke the airway without suctioning. The worst fears came true when the suction couldn’t be connected to any of the plug points and Pappu gasped for air. Without any immediate medical assistance, his father did something which is nothing short of a miracle and demonstrated the immense love of a father towards his son. He fixed his mouth to Pappu’s mouth and sucked out the secretions, clearing the choking mucous plugs away and allowing him to breathe, until the emergency medical service was available. At the time of writing this article Pappu is doing well and spoke over the phone clearly and positively. He is due for a review a month later for removal of the tracheostomy tube. He not only fought against the time lost in getting the right treatment, but also against the morbidity that is associated with such intramedullary tumors.

It was all possible due to the hardworking nursing staff who toiled day and night, the physiotherapy staff for respiratory and motor rehabilitation and lastly the willpower of Pappu and his parents to fight back against the disease. Dr. Mohammed Khizar DNB Trainee, Dept. of Neurosurgery

Genda Lal Soni is a 43-year-old shopkeeper from Bihar, who visited our screening OPD on 30-Jun-22 with a 3-year history of blurring of vision. He was evaluated for the same at a local centre and found to have a tumour in the pituitary gland, which had grown significantly, causing compression of the optic chiasma, causing visual blurring.

We evaluated him for any disturbances in the hormonal balance, which is common in these tumours. The ophthalmologist examined him in detail for his visual status and concluded to have peripheral field restriction of the vision, which is characteristic of tumours in this region. He underwent an endoscopic trans-nasal trans-sphenoidal approach and excision under general anaesthesia on 17-Jun-22. In this, we reach the pituitary gland through the nose and take out the tumour. Surgery was uneventful and he was in the ICU. The patient did well post-operatively and he was shifted to the ward.

On the second post-operative day, Genda Lal complained that he was not seeing anything in his right eye. The MRI found an operative cavity blood clot was compressing his right-sided optic nerve. He was rushed to the operative room on Sunday morning and an emergency evacuation of the hematoma was done. He regained his right eye vision to the same level as the preoperative state.

He was doing well in the ward, when suddenly he started having a watery leak from the nose – CSF rhinorrhoea. Insertion of a lumbar drain to divert CSF was attempted, but the drain could not be inserted in the ICU because of his unusual anatomical variation. He was taken to the OT and a lumbar drain was inserted by removing part of the bone of lumbar vertebra at L3 level.

This did help transiently, but the leak recurred. He was taken up again for endoscopic repair of the leak followed by the peritoneal shunt – a thin tube that drains CSF from lumbar subarachnoid space into the abdominal cavity. He was doing well transiently, then again leakage recurred from the nose.

We decided to seal the leak from the inside portion of the skull itself and he underwent Bifrontal craniotomy and intradural repair of a defect in Sella with vascularised pericranium under GA on 9-Jul-22.

At last, his CSF leak stopped and a much larger problem was waiting for giving him more trouble. After a period of doing well, he became dull and the sensorium went down. He started having a fever, CT brain showed enlarged ventricles with hydrocephalus. Extra ventricular drain (EVD) was inserted and CSF showed infection and appropriate antibiotic were started both intravenous and intrathecal route.

EVD tube kept on blocking and it was replaced once. He was on antibiotics, as he fought a deadly condition known as ventriculitis. Our attempts and timely interventions every time he had an issue saved his vision and life multiple times. During all these, he had a turbulent course concerning his sodium levels. With the background of pituitary tumour, infection and hydrocephalus, his electrolyte imbalance was challenging to manage but it was done successfully. Once his infection was confirmed to be negative, we did a permanent ventriculoperitoneal shunt and the patient was discharged successfully to be followed up with the endocrinologist for his hormonal imbalance.

The entire team of neurosurgeons put in their best effort every time to get him out of the turbulence he faced. In spite of three months of struggle, multiple surgeries and distressed family members, it was rewarding to see that at the end, Genda Lal Soni is healthy and is coming for his regular follow-ups.

Dr. Prashanth Alle DNB Trainee, Dept. of Neurosurgery

CARDIOLOGY:

Conferences:

1. C R Y S T A L

2023: Sensing the need to reach out to a wider student base in honing their understanding of Cardiology, SSSIHMS, Whitefield organized its first conference named “CRYSTAL”.

as Chief Guest. More than 150 students and working professionals attended the conference.

2. SPEED 2023: The 9th edition of annual conference of SPEED targeted at exam going DM/DNB (Cardiology) students was successfully conducted on 2-3 September 2023. 130 students participated in this conference.

3. Electra 2023: The 2nd edition of electra 2023 with Dr. Srivathsan as faculty and Dr. Yegyaraman and Dr. Ashok Garg as moderators was organized between 25-27 October, 2023. The conference consisted of 1.5 hour session in the evening and focused on electrophysiology. It was organized in an online format and more than 100 participants made these sessions a grand success. Patient Care Initiatives:

There are many firsts in this calendar year with respect to improvements in patient treatment.

1. On 2-Mar-23, SSSIHMS cardiologists performed Trans Catheter Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) for the first time in the history of Institute on a patient with Aortic dissection. This is a lifesaving procedure, costing many lakhs and requires exceptional skill.

2. They also performed lead extraction in a patient with repeated infections for the first time. CRT implants are high cost procedures and requires special skills and not performed by everyone. Within that, removing the leads are done by far fewer cardiologists. Our team did it for the first time in August 2023.

3. As a person ages, calcification of blood vessels is a common occurrence. When this happens in coronary arteries, it becomes problematic. To address this, a new category of treatment called Intravascular Lithotripsy was introduced, where pulsating sound waves are delivered at the location of calcification, rendering it amenable for angioplasty. Our Cardiologists used this technology for the first time in Feb-2023.

4. Closing Ventricular Septal Defects (holes in lower chambers of heart) has always been a challenging proposition for the cardiologists. By closing holes in cathlab, it would avoid surgery for children born with this condition. While VSD devices are available, they are known for post-procedural complications. One of the Indian cardiologists has designed a device called Konar MS, that works seamlessly. The cardiologists at SSSIHMS used this device for the first time in 2023 and treated more than 20 patients.

5. Our cardiologists performed renal vein stenting for the first time in a patient with Nutcracker syndrome. Volunteering:

Our heart-felt gratitude to the following cardiologists, who offered their services at SSSIHMS-Whitefield, during 2023. 1. D.S. Chadda:

He is a well-known Cardiac Interventionalist in Bangalore. With lifestyle changes, there is an increasing number of CAD (coronary artery disease) patients, with complex presentation of “bad arteries”. Such cases require special skills, materials and equipment. Dr. D.S. Chadda visited the Institute multiple times during the year and mentored the team in performing such cases.

2. Dr. Ashok Garg, Dr. Sivaraman Yegyaraman:

These Electrophysiologists, who have been visiting us, twice yearly for more than two decades. They were here between 25-Mar to 1-Apr, 2023. During their visit, over 40 patients were treated for electrical disorders, 10 devices for heart failure implanted and the SSSIHMS team received an update on the field of Electrophysiology.

3. Dr. Nageshwara Rao: A reputed pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Nageshwara Rao,

developed a device for closure of holes in the heart. He visited the hospital on 24-May-23 to mentor complex device implantations. Ten children benefited from this workshop. Seeing the variety of anatomic malformations, Dr. Nageshwara Rao was impressed and said these cases could be part of any international live conferences.

4. Dr. K.S. Srivathsan:

Dr. Srivathsan, Head of Electrophysiology at Mayo Clinic, Arizona, USA joined Drs. Yegyaraman and Garg, between 25-28 October, 2023 and offered his services to the patients. During the 4-day period, they implanted nine 9 heart failure devices and treated 30 patients with electrical disturbances within the heart heart. The Institute also organized a one and half hour online conference for three days covering various aspects of Electrophysiology with Dr. Srivathsan as the speaker. 5. Dr. Keshav Nayak Dr. Keshav Nayak, a former US Navy veteran and a Structural Interventionalist of repute has been a regular visitor to the hospital. This time also, he spent around three days between 18-20 December 2023 observing and sharing his inputs on various aspects.

NEUROSURGERY CME/ workshop invitations

• The department of Neurosurgery was invited by the Neurological Society of India to conduct a journal club for the NSI members on 11th February 2023. Dr. Saritha Aryan, Senior Consultant and HOD, Neurosurgery and Dr. Sumit Thakar, Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery were moderators for this session.
• Dr. Saritha Aryan, Senior Consultant and HOD, Neurosurgery was invited by the Department of Neurosurgery, BMCRI (Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute) as faculty for a cadaveric workshop for the demonstration of various surgical approaches in Neurosurgery.

Reviewer assignments

• Dr. Sumit Thakar, Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery, reviewed 19 articles in 2023 submitted in the following peer-reviewed indexed journals: Neurosurgical Review, World Neurosurgery, Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Brain Science Advances, Current Oncology, Clinical Case Reports, Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice. With this, he has now become an ad-hoc reviewer for a total of 42 national and international peer- reviewed journals.
• Dr. Sumit Thakar, Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery, is an invited Rater for the McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE) System affiliated to the Health Information Research Unit of McMaster University,

Canada since 2017. In the year 2022, he rated 11 articles published in the following journals: NEJM, JAMA, Neurology, Spine and Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Publications

1: Thakar S, Mohiuddin MK, Sriramanakoppa NN, Aryan S. Disseminated Intracranial Germinoma Presenting with Wallerian Degeneration. Neurol India. 2023 May-Jun;71(3):604-605.

2: Thakar S, Vasoya P. “Sack of Marbles” Appearance of a Scalp Teratoma. Radiology. 2023 Jun;307(5):e230033. 3: Lakha A, Thakar S. Giant Tumefactive Perivascular

Spaces: An Unusual Cause of Holmes Tremor. World Neurosurg. 2023 Nov;179:66-67.

4: Honavalli Murali S, Reddy Parapati V, Kesavapisharady K, Divakar G, Nair P, Hariharan Venkat E. Colloid Cyst: Revision of Third Ventricular Zones for Risk Stratification of Hydrocephalus. World Neurosurg. 2023 Nov24:S1878-8750(23)01661-3.

5: Vasoya P, Raj V, Khan K, Thakar S, Aryan S. Primary intracranial sarcoma masquerading as a chronic subdural haematoma: illustrative case and review of an unusual phenomenon. Childs Nerv Syst. 2023 Jul;39(7):1957-1962.

6: Thakar S (Collaborator in the National Institute for Health and Care Research Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery). Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries. Br J Surg. 2023 Jun 12;110(7):804-817. 7: Thakar S, Sunil A. Cerebral Cystic Echinococcosis. N

Engl J Med. 2023 Feb 2;388(5):e10.

Publications that caught media attention

Two articles published by the Department of Neurosurgery achieved extraordinarily high worldwide readership. The article ‘Cerebral Cystic Echinococcosis’ in the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), a leading medical journal, is ranked in the 90th percentile of all articles in NEJM and in the 99th percentile of article across all medical journals. It was later published in Newsweek.

An image article ‘“Sack of Marbles” Appearance of a Scalp Teratoma’ published in Radiology journal has been downloaded more than 60,000 times and has a current altmetric score of 257, signifying a ‘High Attention Score’ and 99th percentile in the research domain. It was later published by Daily Mail, New York Post, India Today, NDTV and Times Now, amongst various other media and digital news agencies.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:

Dr. Sanjay H.M., Junior Consultant, Neurosurgery won the second prize for the Young Neurosurgeons Award (YNA) sponsored by the Joint Meeting of the WFNS Foundation Education Course and 12th International Neurosurgery Update 2023 for a paper entitled ‘Comparison of ICA morphometry between adult patients with Moya Moya disease and controls’.

Dr. Prayaag Kini, Consultant Cardiologist, won two “Best Oral Abstract Presenter” awards at the CSICon, Kolkata held between 7-10 Dec 2023 on the topic “Creating an Inhospital mortality prediction model for Indian patients with UA/ NSTEMI using Machine learning-based techniques”.

Dr. Sfurti Jadhav, DNB alumnus of the Cardiology department, has been selected to present her DNB Thesis titled “RIGHT VENTRICULAR HAEMODYNAMIC TRENDS AFTER PERCUTANEOUS CLOSURE AND SURGICAL CLOSURE OF ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT”, at the American College of Cardiology Conference (ACC.24) in Mar 2024 at Atlanta, USA.

Sri S.K. Rangarajan, I/C CSSD and Laundry, was honored with the Ms. Nalini Gayatonde National Award for his contributions in the field of sterilization services at the National Scientific Conference “Advancing Sterilization Techniques for Enhanced Patient Safety” on 19-Nov-23 in Hyderabad.

Healing with Grace

Working at SSSSIHMS For a decade and five, I have fallen in Love With this busy beehive.

We earn our bread Working nights and days, And all this comes With a touch of Grace.

People walk in here The frail and the ill, With a hope in heart Not scared of any bill.

They can’t offer much In silver fees, Their families wait On their bent knees.

And lo and behold The surgery is done, The clouds separate away And out comes the Sun.

It all happens so fast Such is their team, “Is it for real?” patients ask Or “Is it a dream?”

I haven’t seen a place In the world so wide, Where Healing happens with Grace It fills me with pride.

I know I work, In the Promised Land, Where the only scalpel is HIS Loving Hand.

For This Endless Grace, I thank him and kneel In curing others, I found my own Heal.

CTVS:

The Cardiac Operation theatre was provided with four indigenous hyper hypothermia units for intra-operative use. They were also provided with a Livanova Sorin S5 Pro heart-lung machine. Another unit has been ordered and is due to be delivered shortly.

Laboratory:

The Lab was provided with a new fully automated ELISA 4-plate processor as a replacement of the existing unit.

Cardiology:

The latest ECG machines GE MAC 5 with advanced features and WiFi capability were procured for use in the Cardiology department.

In addition, the Philips Allura Clarity FD10C Cardiac Cathlab, installed in January 2011. has been upgraded to the latest version of software and hardware. This has allowed the doctors to have the latest version of software application without needing to replace the Lab

Neurosurgery:

The Department has been provided two Leica M530 OHX high-end surgical operating microscopes with features for integrated recording and advanced visualization. They also received two sets of Medtronic MR8 pneumatic drills, as a replacement of the older drill systems.

(A Unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust)

EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bengaluru 560 066 Tel: +91 80 2800 4600 E-mail: newsletter@sssihms.org.in URL: www.wfd.sssihms.org.in

Pictures used on the covers and contents page

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