From TB care to HIV-AIDS centre of hope and beyond: A priest’s bold journey with Bel-Air

“I happened to visit Bel-Air in 1993 and was horrified by the state of decrepitude,” Fr Tomy recalled, adding that he volunteered to work and revive the hospital for just Re 1 per month.

Accordingly, the Indian Red Cross Society, Maharashtra, which had been handed over the hospital way back in the 1960s, entrusted the management and administration to Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (MCBS) in 1994.

At least 64 buildings had been dilapidated, and three were in a condition to admit patients. There was no trained medical staff, and the number of patients had dropped below 20.

“The initial revival phase was painful and traumatic, and even basic infrastructure was needed to manage a handful of TB patients,” Fr Tomy recalled and observed that he had to deal with issues like labour unrest and rampant encroachment.

He was able to garner support from Tata Trusts, which disbursed over Rs 2.77 crore for various works and soon, the 200-bed hospital was transformed into a modern treatment facility.

Abdul Kalam’s visit in 2003

The National AIDS Control Organisation sanctioned the first community care centre at Bel Air for 50 beds in 2000, and the visit of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam as the President of India in 2003 was a stamp of approval on the work of Bel-Air as among the best HIV/AIDS treatment centres.

More than 25,000 people living with HIV were cared for at Bel Air hospital in Panchgani, which has now embarked on a new phase of growth. Apart from setting up a nursing college, the Maharashtra government in 2019 entrusted the management of a rural hospital, two primary health centres, and 14 sub-centres covering 124 villages to Bel Air.

While the picturesque locations of Tapola in Mahabaleshwar and Taldeo offer tourists a serene atmosphere to relax and unwind, there are remote, difficult-to-reach hamlets that face challenges accessing timely medical services. The aim was to provide comprehensive healthcare to rural villages in the Mahabaleshwar tehsil of the Satara district.

Challenges in rural areas

“There were some villagers who would travel a distance of 140 kms for medical treatment,” Fr Tomy recalled and added that in the early days they would take their mobile teams and treat the villagers.

“The rural hospital was in a dilapidated state. There were no doctors or even a single nurse,” he remembered. The state decided to establish a public-private partnership and handed the hospital over to Bel Air.

“We were able to raise funds to the tune of Rs 10 crore and renovate the hospital and other facilities. There are expert physicians, doctors and nurses and on any given day, the Mahabaleshwar rural hospital has an outpatient department (OPD) of a minimum of 250 patients. At Tapola and Taldeo, respectively, there are close to 70 patients who attend the OPD daily.”

Apart from setting up St Xavier’s High School and Junior College, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Fr Tomy also established the Bel-Air College of Nursing.

“The aim was to upgrade the national response to emerging challenges in the healthcare sector by the capacity building of nurses, and today this workforce has been ably assisting doctors across various facilities,” Fr Tomy added.

While the load of HIV patients has visibly reduced, Fr Tomy also said that the hospital has dedicated sections on ayurvedic wellness treatment.