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About Us
Umri Christian hospital is a registered charitable public trust and society.
The Umri Christian Hospital is a witness to God’s continuous leading and guidance through the past 70+ years and also an answer to the prayers of many prayer warriors. The hospital is established due to the humble sacrifices and dedication of several overseas medical missionaries, native medical doctors, nurses, administrators, technicians, departmental staff, board members, and financial supporters.
It is the fruit of constant hard work, concern, and care for sick people and for their souls.
It also manages Yardy English High School and Helen Rose School of Nursing.
Our Vision
Others O Lord, Others!
Our Mission
To serve the underprivileged people, with love and compassion having the mind of Christ
and to provide holistic healthcare by practicing professional excellence
and uncompromised ethical value.
UCH is a Self Sustaining Center of Medical Excellence Delivering Compassionate Care to Suffering People in the Heart of India.
Welcome to Umri Christian Hospital (UCH)! We are strategically located at the center of a rural region of central India, home to over 6 million people who often live in isolated rural villages where families earn less than $1 a day. The UCH team connects one-on-one with life saving medical care and transforming assistance for sustainable change. We partner with individuals, families and villages to overcome the burden of disease, limited educational opportunity, lack of infrastructure and economic opportunity who are caught in the grip of extreme, generational poverty.
UCH began in 1951 when Dr. Paul Yardy started a clinic to serve the poorest people in and around the small village of Umri. Patients walked, or came by ox cart, often traveling for a day or more to receive the first medical care available in the region. Many were members of tribal cultures isolated in surrounding forests. Most didn’t even have access to a simple aspirin. Since then, UCH has brought quality healthcare and hope along with personal and community development to hundreds of thousands of people living in the Yavatmal and Adilabad Districts.
After 70 years of caring, our mission continues stronger than ever: to serve the poor with whole person healing and sustainable development assistance to make a difference in transformed lives and communities. Join us in the exciting mission of delivering modern healthcare and hope with sustainable change for better futures for all we serve.
Our Story
A BRIEF HISTORY – UMRI CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL
Umri, off the highway to Nagpur, is a small village in the Yavatmal District of Maharashtra.
Till 1881, this village and the surrounding tribal villages had no access to medical treatment, education or motorized transportation. With the arrival of the Free Methodist Church in 1881, life was transformed for the poor, illiterate and backward people of this area.
In 1894, a young woman, Miss Sarah Ferries received a vision to serve in India. She decided to start her ministry in Yavatmal District and very soon became the “Florence Nightingale” of Yavatmal. The General Missionary Board recognized her services and sent Miss Mary Chynoweth and Miss Lorena Marston to help her in the following years. Very soon Rev. Casberg arrived and had a burden to construct a hospital in Umri. In 1923, sustained only by prayer and hard work, he succeeded in constructing a building with six rooms. That year Rev. Casberg was able to treat many patients. The hospital kept the service going with meagre financial support as they could collect only minimum charges from the poor patients.
In 1941, Dr. Melvin Casberg and his wife Olivia came to Umri. His parents were involved in the Evangelistic Ministry and building work of the hospital. But in 1942, war broke out and interrupted the hospital work forcing Dr. Melvin to go back. It was a difficult time but the local member Mr. P.A. Bidari, a Compounder and his wife Mrs. Bidari, a trained Nurse together handled the Dispensary in the hospital for about seven years. Prayers of many including those of Rev. E.S. Root were earnestly made for the situation to improve. Eventually the Missionary Board decided not to discontinue the hospital work. There was new hope for the hospital.
Dr. Isaac Jebaraj, an Orthopedic Surgeon and his wife, Dr. Prasanna, a Psychiatrist, from CMC Vellore arrived at UCH. They gave a new direction to the hospital by introducing a revolutionary short term TB treatment for the poor and needy tribals. Later on, Dr. Issac Newton lead the team for around 10 years.
In 1997, God brought a young, committed and dedicated doctor couple, Dr. Samuel Jeevagan, M.S., and his wife, Dr. Mrs. Elizabeth David, M.D. to Umri. Under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Jeevagan and Dr. Mrs. Elizabeth David the hospital services had expanded to reach out to the community and tribal people in faraway villages. During this period UCH ventured into new initiatives in education and training. As a result, it could start Dr. Yardy English High School, an English medium school with a strength of around 1000 students and Helen Rose School of Nursing, an institution established to provide nursing training to girls from the local community. At present, UCH is a 100 bedded multi-speciality hospital with well-equipped diagnostic facilities.