Mahatma Gandhi at the opening ceremony of the Kamala Nehru Hospital in Allahabad

Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital (KNMH) is a not-for-profit hospital in

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. The hospital had its beginnings in 1931 as a dispensary founded by Smt.

Kamala Nehru Kamala Nehru (''née'' Kaul; ; 1 August 1899 – 28 February 1936) was an Indian independence activist and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Her daughter Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India ...

in her ancestral house Swaraj Bhawan. Gandhiji laid the foundation stone of Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital in 1939. KNMH is the only hospital in the country for which he had collected donations. Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated this hospital in the memory of Late Smt Kamala Nehru on 28 February 1941, the date she had died in 1936. Since 1994, the

Oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

Department of the hospital is a

Regional Cancer Centre Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs) are cancer care hospitals and research institutes operating in India under the joint control and funding of the Government of India and the respective state governments. The name 'regional' because each of these insti ...

, recognized by Government of India.

History

Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital traces its roots to the

Indian Freedom Struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

, when in the year 1931, Smt. Kamala Nehru converted some rooms in her ancestral house, Swaraj Bhawan into a Congress Dispensary. This mini Hospital had both indoor and out door facilities manned by patriotic doctors and other paramedical staff. Though frail in health but indomitable in spirits Smt.

gave to this institution her time, labour and above all compassion till her untimely death in 1936. After her death,

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and other national leaders like Pt.

Madan Mohan Malviya Madan Mohan Malaviya ( (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and ...

, Pt.

Jawahar Lal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20 ...

, Dr. B. C. Roy,

Uma Shankar Dikshit Uma Shankar Dikshit (12 January 1901 – 30 May 1991) was an Indian politician, cabinet minister and Governor of West Bengal and Governor of Karnataka.Kamala Nehru Kamala Nehru (''née'' Kaul; ; 1 August 1899 – 28 February 1936) was an Indian independence activist and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Her daughter Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India ...

who was a living monument of selfless service, sacrifice and compassion for fellow human beings. In the start, it was a fledgling unit with just 40 beds of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, out of which 28 were free. The first Medical Superintendent of the Hospital was Dr.(Mrs) Satyapriya Mazumdar. Today it has a bed capacity of 350, out of which 175 are free/subsidized.

Efforts at KNMH

KNMH has been partnering with many national and international organizations to help local populations and increase their health standard. Urban Health Initiative a program supported by the

Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...

identified KNMH as partner in

. From time to time KNMH undertakes various outreach activities. With an initiative to have a Clean Green Environment, KNMH has introduced solar lights within the campus with an aim to reduce electricity use and contribute towards green environment. A paper co-authored by KNMH CEO Prof. (Dr.) Madhu Chandra and many other leading

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

experts was published in

the Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

Oncology that discusses the challenges in delivering affordable and equitable cancer care in India.

KNMH Rural Hospital

Kamala Nehru Memorial Rural Hospital is a base hospital of KNMH Society, started in the year 1987 by the then Prime Minister and KNMH Trust President Shri Rajiv Gandhi to serve over 100 villages, across the river

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

in rural Allahabad.

Employees Welfare

KNMH has 66 flats in Teliyargunj area of Allahabad to provide accommodation to class III and class IV employees of the hospital. These flats were acquired by the hospital administration from Allahabad Development Authority (ADA). For children of hospital employees, KNMH administration provides merit based scholarships. Hospital employees also avail free/subsidized medical care at KNMH.

Academics and training

KNMH is a training ground for various medical courses and runs a School for Nursing and Midwifery with an intake of 60 seats. Nursing school has a whooping participation from girls comprising more than 92% of total student strength. On an average KNMH train more than 130 professionals every year in the fields of Radiotherapy, Obstetrics & Gynaecology,

Nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

Midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many ...

, OT & CT Technology, and

Medical Physics Medical physics deals with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. Since 2008, medical physics has been incl ...

Certification, Empanelment, and Recognitions

In addition to being recognized as RIMCH and RCC, KNMH has various certifications, empanelments, and recognitions from various government and non-government institutes.

Administration

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital is Dr. Madhu Chandra and the Assistant director (Administration) is Mr. Hari Om Singh who supervises and lead the officials of the hospital.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official WebsiteKNMH Case Study
Regional Cancer Centres in India Hospitals in Uttar Pradesh Buildings and structures in Allahabad Memorials to Kamala Nehru Research institutes in Uttar Pradesh Hospitals established in 1941 1941 establishments in India