The Impact of Quality Healthcare on Local Populations

In 2007 my wife and I visited India for the first time. Returning home and telling my brother-in-law how splendid the trip had been, he asked if we were interested in visiting a hospital in Orissa. Of course we were. He is a doctor and was there for a course in tropical medicine, because our doctors must follow up on more Danes travel to tropical areas. Of course we were interested, and my brother-in-law made contact for us. Here in 2008, we landed in Kolkata and stayed there for some days before taking the night train to Orissa.

The name of the hospital is Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack – CHB, situated in a small village called Bissamcuttack. It was started up in the 1950ies by a Danish missionary doctor by the name of Lis Madsen. She went to India to find a place where the need was great, and she settled down in Bissamcuttack, Orissa – one of the poorest states in India. It all started modestly up by training nurses. In the lifetime of Lis Madsen, it developed into a genuine hospital. From the beginning there have been no conditions for medical or surgical treatment regarding religion. If the patients can’t afford to pay for the treatment, it’s free. People in the area belong to the Khond tribe, and their health condition was very bad, and they have their own religion based on nature.
By time CHB in size and was able to offer better treatments. A nursery school and a maternity ward were started. It is free to study nursery, but you commit yourself to working at the hospital for a couple of years afterwards. The tribal people see a woman giving birth as unclean, and she is not allowed to stay indoors. So, the maternity ward was a giant step In improving death rates for newborn and here in 2025 they have the same death rate for newborn as in Denmark.

In India there are about 800 different languages spoken. Khond tribe people speak a language called kuwi, and it is only a spoken language. The children were offered schooling in Oriya, the official language in Orissa. The hospital has always defined health for a person in three directions, physical, social, and educational. In 1998 a boarding school was started by 16 villages with help from CHB. Each village could send around 6 children to the school with an even gender composition. The rest of the villages in the area saw soon after that they lagged behind, and still with help from CHB, village schools were started up successively. This part was based on private sponsors, and my wife and I sponsored a village school for three years. The small village schools are only class level 1-5, and that helps the children with basic reading and calculating – for instance not being cheated when they as grown-ups are selling their agricultural products to a distributor.

I have a lot of images from the hospital, but I’m not allowed to show them here on my homepage. You can see my images from our other four trips to India on my Gallery page.

In today’s fast-paced world, the health of our communities has become more crucial than ever. Quality healthcare plays a pivotal role in enhancing the well-being of local populations, ultimately contributing to a healthier society. For photography enthusiasts, capturing moments of health, wellness, and community engagement can showcase the profound impact that quality medical services have on people’s lives.

Strengthening Local Economies

When healthcare systems are robust, local economies thrive. Investment in quality healthcare means more jobs in hospitals, clinics, and community health organizations. These facilities need a diverse range of professionals, from doctors and nurses to administrative staff and support personnel. As these healthcare services expand, they not only offer employment opportunities but also enhance local economic growth.