Panangad Amrita Periferal clinic celebrated its first anniversary and organised a free diabetic treatment and awareness camp on 27th Feb. 2010 at Panangad Amrita Periferal Clinic. Kanayannur thahsildar T K Babichchan inaugurated the function.

The camp was led by doctors of the endocrinology and diabetes department of AIMS, Kochi. C K Padmanabhan Kumbalam Panchayat President, Ajith Velakadavil Panchayat Member, Adv. Girijan Parakkaad Trust, from AIMS Community medicine dept head Dr. Leelamoni, Medical Administrator Dr. Rajesh Pai and PK Sudhakaran spoke on this occasion.

With the blessings of Amma, the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Jana Shiksha Sansthan (JSS), Idukki conducted a medical camp in Anthoniyar Colony, a tribal settlement in Idukki on 17th January 2010. Swami Njaanamritananda Puri graced the occasion by lighting the lamp. Br. Dr. Jaggu, Dr. Jagathlal P C, Dr. Ramakrishnan, Dr. Manoj Prathapan, Dr. Vivek, Dr. Gopi Chellan and paramedical staff from AIMS extended tender care to about 300 tribal patients. Medicines were distributed free of cost to all. About 17 patients were identified to have serious medical/surgical illness. They are referred to AIMS for further management.

With the blessings of Amma, the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Jana Shiksha Sansthan (JSS), Idukki conducted a medical camp in Kanthaloor, a tribal settlement in Idukki on 22 November ‘09. Swami Njaanamritananda Puri graced the occasion by lighting the lamp. Br. Dr. Jaggu, Dr. Jagathlal P C, Dr. Gopi Chellan and three interns from AIMS extended tender care to more than 300 tribal patients. Medicines were distributed free of cost to all the patients. About 60 school children in the tribal hostel (both boys and girls) also were screened for communicable diseases and treated accordingly. Also, the medical team visited two nearby tribal colonies to provide palliative care to the chronic bed ridden patients. About 15 patients were identified to have serious medical and surgical illness and were referred to AIMS for further management.

Tele-medicine unit left for flood affected regions of Bangalore and Andra Pradesh. The unit has special arrangements for continuous monitoring of patients in emergency situation.

Emergency Physicians Dr.Muhammed Shafi K P, Dr. Niju, Dr.Akhil, Dr.Kirthi Mohan, Dr.Krishnadas of gynecology department, Mr. Anup Soman, Mr. Anil, Mr.Ajith, Mr. Prasanth male nurses, Emergency Medical technicians and X-ray Technician Mr.Ratnakumar were part of the team.

Dr.Prem Nair, Medical Director, Dr. Sanjeev K Singh, Senior Administrative Officer, Br. Anil, Mohanachandran, Laison Officer, and Mr. M N Unni gave sent off to the team.

Several departments in AIMS regularly undertake to conduct these medical camps. These include but are not limited to General Medicine and General Surgery (health check up, minor treatments and minor operation), Gynecology (free checkup, free deliveries, maternity assistance), Endocrinology, (diabetic detection), Cardiology (screening and referral to AIMS for cardiac surgeries and further treatment), Head & Neck (screening for oral cancer and cleft surgeries), Ophthalmology (free cataract and glaucoma surgeries), Dental (extractions, cleaning, dentures, basic treatments, etc.).

Curable Blindness Camps
Amrita Mobile Medical Assistance Camps
Amrita Diabetes Welfare Association (ADWA)
Free Cleft Lip Surgery Screening Camps
ICMR Rheumatic Fever Research Project
Palliative Home Care Service
Disaster Response Team
Rural Medical Clinics
Telemedicine support to remote medical facilities
Emergency Medicine Services
Significantly reduced cost or free treatment for poor patients

Bimonthly free cataract surgery camps are conducted offering a ray of hope to the poor and needy, striving to overcome the huge back-log of Cataract blindness in various parts of Kerala. In the camps consultations, medicines and treatment are provided for free. After completing 40 camps, we have screened more than 10,000 people and given free operations to over 1000 patients. Our target plan is to expand to 1000 free cases per month.

The Jai Vigyan Mission Mode Project on Control of RF/RHD under the Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India) has been established to support the application of science and technology to directly benefit the economically weaker sections of society. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has identified AIMS as one of the three national, nodal centres for the Registry, the other centres being PGI, Chandigarh, and CMC, Vellore.

The first Amrita Mobile Medical Assistance camps were conducted in the tribal villages of Idukki and Wynad. The indigenous people are very poor. At each camp about 300 patients attend, some walk great distances, and arrive full of hope for immediate hospital treatment. The patients are screened for any major disease and referred to AIMS for further management. For the rest of the people, free medicines and health care education are provided. We have also extended our service to other areas in Kerala like Alapuzha and Trichur districts.

The Pain and Palliative Home Care Programme provides compassionate and fully charitable care for patients with advanced cancers and other incurable diseases. Aiming to relieve distressing physical symptoms and to provide psychological support and counselling to such patients and their families. Most of the terminally ill patients are too sick to come to the hospital regularly. The home-care unit is therefore a vital component of the palliative care service. Most private hospitals are not interested in providing such a service since it is not financially remunerative. All services are provided free of charge to all patients and free medicines are also offered specifically to poor patients.

Tsunami Relief - When the hospital learned of the tsunami disaster, six ambulances were dispatched along with medical teams to coastal areas hardest hit by the killer wave. One fully equipped ambulance with doctors and nurses went out each day to Vypin Island where many trauma cases needed medical attention. A 24-hour medical centre was set up on the island with doctors, resources and medicine. Additional ambulances and medical staff went to Karunagappally in Kerala and to Nagapattanam in Tamil Nadu.

When the tsunami struck in Dec 2005, over 30,000 patients were treated in nearly a hundred camps all over Kerala and Tamil Nadu. During the following year, in 2007, when the chikungunya epidemic broke out, another 35,000 patients received free treatment. More recently, in 2008, nearly 15,000 patients in Bihar availed the free and specialized services made available to them during the Bihar flood relief activities organized by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. This year, when cyclone Aiyla struck West Bengal, our doctors were there to help the people. Two critically ill patients could be saved due to their timely intervention.

Earthquake Assistance - As soon as the devastation by the earthquake in Gujarat was known, a team of medical specialists from AIMS was dispatched to assist in any way possible. The Disaster Response team tended to over 900 victims earthquake, performing numerous surgeries and treating severe orthopedic injuries.

In January 2001, during the Gujrat earthquake, 15 doctors and paramedical staff were airlifted to Anjar and Bhuj . They saw thousands of patients and performed more than 100 surgical procedures. Medical help was provided to the people of Gujrat for more than 6 months.