Thrikkakara Municipal Cooperative Hospital’s 15th anniversary celebrations this week will champion the UN International Year of Family Farming (IYFF 2014) with an eye on taking the hospital’s campaign for holistic health care and safe food a step forward.
IYFF 2014 was formally declared at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in 2011 and targets raising the profile of family and small holder farming as agent alleviating hunger and achieving sustainable development.
As part of the celebrations an organic food festival, an agricultural exhibition and seminars on issues confronting the cooperative healthcare facilities in the State will be conducted.
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The programmes will be inaugurated by K. Babu, Minister for Excise, Ports and Fisheries on July 31 at the Thrikkakara Municipal Community Hall at 9 a. m.
Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthandan will inaugurate the hospital's new building on August 2 at 11.30 a. m.
The Cooperative Hospital, a path-breaking venture and the only project alive in the State now from the People’s Plan movement, has succeeding in building a reputation for itself as a speciality healthcare facility within the means of the ordinary people.
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At a time when super speciality hospitals are receding from the reach of the poor, the Cooperative Hospital acts as the extension centre for all Government-run healthcare schemes like RNTCP, malaria and filiariasis control programmes and all immunisation programmes.
Along with immunisation, the hospital strives to create awareness about holistic and preventive healthcare with healthy and clean food being projected as the drivers of a healthy society.
The hospital is manned by doctors, who have proven their social commitment by providing a share of their professional time for voluntary health services, which include visit to old people at their homes and medical camps, said the President of the Cooperative M.M. Abbas on Sunday.
As part of its safe food campaign, the hospital has also floated an auxiliary society Organic Kerala Charitable Trust, now in operation for a decade, to advocate the cause of organically grown food, he said.
The hospital is growing in strength with about 5,000 members, who have subscribed to amounts ranging from Rs. 250 to Rs. 5 lakh. More recently, the hospital administration approved a family membership plan which allows families to subscribe to shares for amounts ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakh.
The hospital, which has 24 dcotors, 12 of them offering full-time service, has seven departments and employs 125 staff.