Bangalore Baptist Hospital: A Hospital Built on the Foundations of Hope, Compassion and Medical Excellence

Adequate and timely medical care is not just a need but a human right. Every person, regardless of their societal or economic condition is entitled to medical care whenever and wherever in need.

In India, and even worldwide, the profession of medicine is considered to be a noble one, as patients trust them with their lives. Many hospitals in India have taken unto themselves to serve the ill and the needy with all their might. They are dedicated to providing holistic care at an affordable cost and to give subsidized or free care to the marginalized or disadvantaged. And the pioneer among them is Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH).

‘Quality with Compassion’ embodies Bangalore Baptist Hospital. It is a not-for-profit institution with a strong vision to serve all people without discrimination of caste, colour or creed in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

BBH started as an 80-bed hospital in the year 1973 and is currently a 340-bed multi-specialty hospital serving all socio-economic strata of the society. Known for its ethical practices, it is one of the institutions leading the way in healthcare quality in the country and is trusted by the patients who return to avail services and also become ambassadors for the good treatment meted out at BBH.

Serving Humanity

Bangalore Baptist Hospital is the first mission hospital in India to be accredited by both NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) as well NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories). BBH was one among the first 100 hospitals to be accredited. This has helped in delivering high-quality patient care consistently. A tertiary care multi-specialty hospital, BBH offers a myriad of service options including:

• Well equipped intensive care units amounting to 72 beds
• Comprehensive Cancer Care: Radiation therapy, Medical oncology, Surgical oncology
• Mother and child care: High-risk obstetrics, advanced gynae surgeries, neonatal and paediatric ICU, are related services are offered.
• Reproductive Medicine Unit: World-class IVF facilities with world-class results.
• Comprehensive cardiac sciences: Interventional Cardiology and cardiothoracic surgical services are offered. Complex interventions are done regularly.
• Geriatric services
• Nephrology services: Almost 1000 haemodialyses are done every month. Senior nephrologists and urologists are part of the team.
• Spine surgeries, joint replacements, bariatric surgery services and advanced laparoscopic surgeries are performed
• Pulmonology, andrology, head and neck oncology, rheumatology, endocrinology are some of the services offered.
• Over 500 students from its nursing and allied health courses are trained here on an annual basis.

Staying Upgraded and Relevant

Bangalore Baptist Hospital was started by Southern Baptist Convention of US and in 1989 it was handed over to CMC (Christian Medical College), Vellore. The Tripartite Agreement between Christian Medical College, Vellore, International Mission Board and Bangalore Baptist Hospital was made to retain the viability of BBH and assist the hospital towards independence even while maintaining the hospital’s identity and autonomy.

This objective is being carried forward by the current Director/CEO Dr.Naveen Thomas. His leadership and acumen ensure that BBH continues to provide healthcare treatment with the latest equipment which is updated regularly.

BBH has fully equipped intensive care units as well as operation theatres which conform to the quality standards. For Diagnostics, it has state-of-the-art facilities including:

• Cathlab for our cardiology patients.
• Best in class technology including 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, 128 dual slice CT machine for our diagnostic purposes
• A laboratory which is NABL accredited.
• Lab with most advanced In-vitro Fertilization technology.
• Intraoperative nerve monitoring system for advanced spine surgeries

Carrying out a Behemoth Task with Passion

Currently, Bangalore Baptist Hospital serves around 1400 outpatients daily and its inpatient numbers have averaged at 75% occupancy over the last six months. It performs 275 deliveries and around 500 surgeries every month. Carrying out operations at such magnitude isn’t an easy task. Apart from the sheer volume, there are many challenges that the hospital faces on its way to serve the needy.

Some challenges are:

Financial challenges and hospital productivity: With inflation and rising costs it is difficult to ensure financial viability.

Maintaining patient safety: Reducing the risk of infection, as well as other potential risks, is crucial in ensuring a high quality of care and maintaining the organization’s reputation.

Regulatory standards: Noncompliance with regulatory standards can lead to a disruption in operations, poor quality of care, safety issues, and substantial fines.

Hospital security: Violence, infant abductions, patient wanderings, and theft of drugs and hospital assets are major concerns. Payment of bills is also a concern among the patients as the hospital doesn’t insist on advances before treatment.

Caring for the Community

The heart of the establishment is the focus on poor patient care. Annually 18% of the hospital’s revenue is utilized as concessions to the poor amounting to Rs.25 crore approximately. The community health department serves as the outreach arm with exemplary services to improve health and developmental indicators in villages and slums serving nearly a lakh population over the last couple of years. Mobile medical units deliver weekly medical help to 25 slums and villages mainly to support the elderly.

Mercy Basket -This initiative was taken by Baptist to help fund the inmates of “Home of Hope” run by Auto Raja with provisions and supplies. The staff of BBH raised about 2 lakhs rupees towards this cause.

Mercy Drops – Mercy Drops is a not-for-profit initiative launched by BBH to promote the culture of sharing in the community. It serves as a platform for channelizing donated & used rehabilitative devices like wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, water beds, etc to those in need. The staff of BBH raised 6 lakh rupees through a fundraising initiative by the sale of food over two days held on 29th & 30th of December,2019.

Embracing the New Year with Hope and Technology

Bangalore Baptist Hospital is one of the earliest adopters of Information Technology in Healthcare with over 15 years of technology adoption. We have a hospital information management system for our operations. Our IT team has started developing applications catering to our requirements and branded it as ELIXIR.

This new year will see the hospital continue to impact many more lives, communities, villages and slums. It aims to grow to a 500-bed credible tertiary care centre. The hospital is also looking forward to a new mother and child block, the addition of brachytherapy centre, and state-of-the-art bone marrow transplant unit.