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

More than 25,000 people living with HIV have been cared for at Bel-Air Hospital in Pune run by Father Tomy Kariyilakulam. The Maharashtra government in 2019 entrusted it with the running of a rural hospital, two primary health centres and 14 sub-centres, covering 124 villages.

4 min readPuneUpdated: Dec 1, 2025 09:40 PM IST

The institution, set up by Dr Rustomji Billimoria, is recognised as one of the leading HIV-AIDS care centres

Thirty years ago, hospitals were refusing to accept HIV patients, and antiretroviral therapy was unavailable. Then Bel-Air Hospital, a tuberculosis sanatorium in Pune, originally gifted by Sir Dorabji Tata, expanded its mission to address the HIV crisis.

The institution, set up by Dr Rustomji Billimoria, is recognised as one of the leading HIV-AIDS care centres and on the occasion of World AIDS Day (December 1), Father Tomy Kariyilakulam, director, Bel-Air Hospital, Panchgani, reflected how shocked he was by the hospital’s condition at the time.

“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

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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.

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“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.

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

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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