cmc-newsline-2may2016-vol-no-53-no-44

Vol.No.53. No.44

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY

MAY 02, 2016

Stories of Missions Outreach D Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.

And all mankind will see God’s salvation.

Luke 3 : 5 - 6 Special Prayers : May 01 - 07, 2016 Nursing Superintendent Office : Dr. Premila Lee and Staff CSSD :

Mrs. Florence Ponnie and Staff

Staff Nurses Hostel :Ms. Amirtha Renjitham and Staff

Reflections from Miles Away The Anugrah Project is an initiative by the Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Dehradun, and has been in place for about 14 years now.

My service obligation brought me here and I have been a part of this project since the past year.

My work here has been varied and truly fulfilling. Among many other responsibilities, I have fond memories of working on surveys of our area of work and participating in wheelchair distributions in collaboration with an international disability programme (Joni and Friends). I have also worked at a home for women, entrusted with the Herbertpur Christian Hospital by the government, which takes care of women with psychiatric illnesses. Working here brought to mind several seemingly insignificant instructions by my tutors at Vellore and it is to them I reached out in moments of uncertainty.

I must mention my sincerest thanks in this regard to Mrs. Reema Samuel, my lecturer from the Department of Psychiatry (OT), who patiently answered all my ‘panic’ questions.

Being a community-based children’s project, the role of an Occupational Therapist here is immense. It calls for more than therapy – a walk alongside the parents of the child patients, towards goals that need to be reached. For someone who has been taught in an institutional structure all along, the community-based rehabilitation set-up can be a rather humbling experience.

The immediacy of situations that require decisions to be made, sometimes in the absence of a ‘senior’ can be daunting, but I have come to learn that these are the instances that build and embolden.

Becoming a regular presence among Sunday School children, the church at large and the families of Herbertpur has securely woven me into the warmth of this fold. The sense of community is not just an occasional glimpse one gets here, it is the only way of living known to them.

Christian Nurses League of CMAI Council Member : Ms. Jancy Johnson Sunday Services : May 08, 2016 6.00 pm

: Exam Hall Building Dr. Rajadoss

6.30 pm

: Hospital Chapel Dr. Santosh Varughese

Memoranda : Dr. Santhanam Sridhar, Professor, is appointed Head of the Department of Neonatology for a period of four years with effect from 25th April, 2016.

Dr. Manish Kumar, Associate Physician, is appointed Acting Head of Neonatology Unit-I with effect from 25th April,2016 during the period Dr. Niranjan Thomas A.W., is away on sabbatical leave.

We welcome : Dr. David Chase, Associate Professor, Cardiology Unit-IV, on his return from study leave.

Obituary : Mrs. Ambiga, W/o. Late Mr. Devaraj, retired Attender, Engineering Department, mother of Mr. D. Narasimhan, Attender Gr.I, Thoracic Surgery Department and mother-in-law of Mrs. Manimegalai, ANM in Child Health OPD, on 26th April, 2016.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved members of the family at this time of grief and loss.

Upcoming Event: The Department of Pulmonary Medicine will commemorate World Asthma Day on 3rd May, 2016. The theme will be 'You Can Control Your Asthma'. The asthma camp will be conducted on that day along with the testing.

This project, being about much more than work, has entered me into a true appreciation of Occupational Therapy. This course has not only diversified my experiences manifold, it has distinctly equipped me for each of them. It took me to a town far from home, where I was granted an opportunity to explore the word of God like never before: that is, in tandem with my academic learning. The theology of suffering became clear to me, enriching my capability to answer the patients and their families I meet everyday.

The skill set, creative space and spiritual awakening that I have been blessed with through the Anugrah Project, are treasures I shall hold on to as an eternally grateful student.

Esther Zachariah, B.O.T. (Batch of 2010) Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Dehradun - Uttarakhand Note: There are many doing their service obligations after completing various courses. Please tell us your story.

We will be happy to keep in touch with you and also pray for you. – missionsoffice@cmcvellore.ac.in

Occupational Health Week in CMC The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recognises April 28th as world day for Occupational Health and Safety.

CMC has begun the tradition of honouring the same as of 2015. This year, the Occupational Health team under the Directorate (HR), decided to observe Occupational Health Week from 25th to 29th April, 2016. One-hour sessions were planned on a daily basis for our employees to educate them on hazards in hospitals and protective measures to avoid them.

The programme was declared open on 25th April, in an inaugural ceremony that lead with a word of prayer by Chaplain Rev. Hamar. After Dr. Pamela Christudoss, Associate Professor, Biochemistry, welcomed the gathering, Dr. Sunil Chandy, Director, Dr. Anil Kuruvilla and Dr. Deepak Abraham, Associate Directors, Dr. Premila Lee, Nursing Superintendent, Dr. Selva Titus, Dean, College of Nursing and Dr. D.J. Christopher, Head, Pulmonary Medicine, each congratulated the team for appropriately bringing out the importance of practicing work safety standards at our institution. Dr. Joe Fleming, Visiting Professor, Biochemistry, then concluded the ceremony with a vote of thanks.

The week-long session looked into various aspects of Occupational Health such as Ergonomics, Chemical Safety, Road Safety, Noise, Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Wellness.

Occupational Health in an Educational Series In a system-driven organisation like a hospital, occupational hazards are quite commonplace.

Potentially hazardous work stations expose employees to a range of physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychological hazards. So, in order to better equip workers from various streams and reduce risks on the whole, the Occupational Health Team has consistently worked towards the following objectives: • To identify potential occupational hazards or risk factors in our institution.

• To identify and develop methods to control aforementioned hazards.

• To constantly communicate to employees the need to be wary of possible hazards in their areas of work.

• To implement policies to ensure employees’ safety.

• To conduct frequent audits and checks to ensure compliance.

To carry this out effectively, the team has produced a series of educational material to be disseminated in the CMC Newsline every week. The following are the topics that will be covered: • Physical hazards: Noise, radiation, occupational lung diseases.

• Chemical hazards: Chemicals, anaesthetic gases.

• Biological hazards: Infections, including TB. • Ergonomic hazards: Posture, man-machine handling.

• Psychosocial hazards: Workplace stress management.

Mrs. Valliammal Babu Retires Mrs. Valliammal Babu, Professor and Head, Operation Room Nursing Department, College of Nursing, retired on April 26th, 2016, after thirty eight years of selfless service to this institution. Mrs. Valliammal is an alumnus of the Diploma Batch of 1974, P.B.B.Sc. Batch of 1982 and M.Sc. Batch of 1990.

Born fifth into a family of twelve children, Mrs. Valliammal’s faith in Christ grew strong even as a child and was further bolstered following her marriage to Mr. Yesu Babu. Soon after her admission into the institution as a student of Diploma in Nursing, she proved her mettle as one of the high achievers in her class and performed exceptionally in her clinical practice.

Having completed her Diploma Nursing programme, Mrs. Valliammal worked as a staff nurse in the Neurosurgical wards for four years. She then joined the Orthopaedics ward after completing her P.B.B.Sc. Nursing, where she held the office of Ward In-charge for five and a half years, ensuring the quality of patient care was always at its greatest and reducing the occurrence of bedsores to zero. In addition to providing top-tier patient care, she also involved herself in teaching the nursing students posted in the Orthopaedic wards. Mrs. Valliammal became a faculty of College of Nursing and Nurse manager in OR after completing her M.Sc. in 1992 and taught Medical Surgical nursing, specifically OR nursing, to Post Diploma, Diploma, B.Sc. Nursing and P.B.B.Sc. students.

She assumed responsibility as Head of OR Nursing Department in 2006, and diligently carried out her responsibilities till her superannuation. As the Head, she played a key role in bringing practice changes in OR by introducing clinical guidelines for nurses in different theatres, establishing mentorship programmes, developing protocols, standards and peri-operative records for OR nursing. She was instrumental in securing the NABH accreditation for OR. Mrs. Valliammal’s ability to offer quick solutions in theatre hitches and maintain interpersonal relationships even during stressful situations, is a trait admired by all her team members in the institution. As a competent nurse and leader, she has been a role model as a teacher as well as a bedside nurse. As an individual, Mrs. Valliammal is a caring and a humble person. Her faith in Christ has been evident in the way that she has fulfilled all the demands and more,of her 38-years-old career.

Mrs. Valliammal is greatly committed to her family as well. Her husband, Mr. Yesu Babu, is a retired non-teaching staff from Voorhees High School. Their elder daughter, Punitha, is pursuing a M.Sc. in Nursing and son-in-law, Jeevanesam, works as a staff Nurse in MHC. Her younger daughter, Sunitha, has completed her M.PT and son-in-law, John Moses, currently works at VIT. They have three lovely grandchildren – Faith, Beryl and Jessie and Mrs. Valliammal looks forward to spending her time with them. As she retires, Mrs. Valliammal will be remembered for her commitment to the calling of caring for the sick and the way she reflected the same in her work every day. The CMC community thanks Mrs. Valliammal for her many years of faithful and sincere services to the institution and wishes her God’s blessings as she enters yet another phase of her life.

International Safe Motherhood Day April 11th, generally observed as International Safe Motherhood Day, was recognised this year by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nursing, particularly under the theme ‘Every woman’s right to quality care for maternal health services – Respectful maternal care for every woman’. Events pertaining to this theme drew active participation from mothers in maternity wards as well as staff nurses of Obs. & Gyn. Nursing and Community Health Nursing.

Following this, in an effort to spread the significance of safe motherhood to the public, an exhibition was set up on April 20th, 2016. Opening this with prayer, Rev. Saramma handed over the proceedings to Mrs. Ebenezer Ellen Benjamin, Professor and Head, Obs. & Gyn. Nursing, who welcomed the gathering. Dr. Annie Regi, Professor & Head, Obs. & Gyn. presided at the event and unveiled the exhibition. Dr. Premila Lee, Nursing Superintendent and Dr. Selva Titus Chacko, Dean, College of Nursing, expressed their pleasure at the success of the programme. Following the distribution of prizes to the winners of the various competitions, the gathering proceeded to view the stalls jointly put up by the staff and students of Obs. & Gyn. Nursing, Community Health Nursing and the Department of Physiotherapy, which were appropriately laden with informative exhibits organised exclusively around women.

Congratulations!

• Dr. Nihal Thomas, Professor and Head, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism has been awarded the FRCP (London) degree by the Royal College of Physicians of London.

• The Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology for having performed their first epicardial radiofrequency ablation in a patient with incessant tachycardia due to an accessory pathway that could not be ablated endocardially.

The procedure was done by Dr. John Roshan and Dr. Sirish Chandra with the able support of Dr. Leah Miriam Raju from Anaesthesia, technicians Mr. Shiva and Mr. Stanley and Nursing support from Ms. Shakila.

• Dr. Victoria Job, Professor and Head, Clinical Biochemistry, attended the 10th International Conference of Clinical Laboratory Automation (CBS 2016) at Seoul, Korea. She was awarded the Best Poster Award titled 'Reference Interval Verification by Data Mining'.

Retirements Mrs. C. Tryphena, Staff Clerk Gr.I, Maternity Ward, retired on April 16th, 2016, after almost 31 years of service to the institution. She has a son and a daughter. Her son, Mr. V. Samuel, is a second year student of M.Tech. in VIT and her daughter, Ms. Christina, is a fourth year student of B.E.(Civil) at Abdul Hakeem Engineering College.

Mr. S. Vedapuri, Hospital Attendant Gr.IV, Medical Ward, retired on April 20th, 2016, after 33 years of service to the institution. He has a son and two daughters. His son, Mr. Jayaprakash, is a Hospital Attendant in 'A' Block. His first daughter, Ms. Kumari, is an Attendant in PWD under the State Government and his second daughter, Ms. Kalyani, is a housewife.

CMC thanks them for their many years of dedicated services to the institution and wishes them a blessed retired life.

Situations Vacant 1. Training Officer Gr.V for the Department of RUHSA Qualification: Masters in Social Science + two years appropriate experience (or) M.Phil. in Social Sciences.

Salary scale: As per institutional rules.

Accommodation not provided.

2. Assistant Professor with MD / DNB (General Medicine) for the Department of Medical I.C.U. Salary scale: As per institutional rules.

Accommodation provided (Partly furnished, depending on availability).

3. Special Teacher with M.Ed. (Special Education) in Mental Retardation for the Department of Developmental Paediatrics Unit Salary scale: As per institutional rules.

Language: English, Tamil and Hindi.

Accommodation not provided.

Apply with bio-data, certificates and testimonial copies, contact phone number, email ID & address with pincode to the Principal, Christian Medical College, Bagayam, Vellore - 632 002. email : princi@cmcvellore.ac.in on or before May 07, 2016 for Item 1, May 14, 2016 for Item 2 and May 21, 2016 for Item 3.

4. Facilitation Officer - 1 Post (Project: under Directorate) Qualifications : MBBS / M.Sc. Nursing / Masters in AHS courses AND at least 3 years' experience in Quality assurance or Accreditation processes.

Stipend : Rs.43,000/- p.m.

Apply by email with bio-data, certificates, testimonial copies, contact phone number, email ID & postal address with pincode to the General Superintendent, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004. email: gs@cmcvellore.ac.in on or before May 12, 2016 for Item 4.