Temples of Healing

“Vaidyo Narayano Harih” – God is the Supreme Healer. Embodying the truth of this ancient Indian saying, Bhagawan’s mission encompasses the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of all humanity. To this end, He has established medical institutions that provide quality healthcare irrespective of caste, creed and religion, in an atmosphere suffused with Divine Love and Peace. In these hospitals, all services including diagnosis, investigations, surgery, medicines, diet etc. are provided absolutely free of charge.

Bhagawan’s initiatives in the field of medical care began with the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam that was inaugurated on 4th October 1956 as a 12-bed facility for serving the poor in Puttaparthi and the surrounding villages. With passing years, the demand for the services offered by the hospital grew and patients came from all over Anantapur District and even adjoining areas and other states. Healthcare provision to the ever-increasing stream of poor patients was enhanced by upgrading the hospital to a 90-bed facility with an out-patient department that now handles around 600 patients a day on an average.

Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital - Prasanthi Nilayam

Despite recent advances in the field of medical sciences and technology, the prohibitive cost of healthcare, especially tertiary care, has taken many of these life-saving measures out of the reach of the common man. In response to this situation, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba founded the Sri Sathya Sai Medical Trust in September 1991 to set up super-speciality hospitals to provide quality medical care at the tertiary level to needy patients irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

The Sri Sathya Sai Medical Trust operates two super-speciality hospitals:
· Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram located in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, with the departments of Cardiology / Cardio-Thoracic Vascular Surgery, Urology and Ophthalmology.
· Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield located in Bangalore in the state of Karnataka, with the departments of Cardiac sciences and Neuro-sciences.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthi Gram	Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield

These medical institutions are all driven by the guiding philosophy as laid down by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba:

Sri Sathya Sai Philosophy of Medicare:

• Healthcare should be made available to one and all irrespective of caste, religion, nationality or economic status.
  
• Quality medical care should be provided absolutely free of charge.
  
• Medical care should be administered with love - doctors, nurses and technicians should practise the five Human Values of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-violence in every act of theirs.
  
• It should cater to the needs of not just the patient’s body but also the mind and soul. Medicine should not stop at ministering to the physical, mental and psychological health of the individual. It should aim at strengthening the spirit of man - the divine force in him that energises his physical, mental and psychological systems.

These hospitals are equipped with the state-of-the-art technology and dedicated teams of skilled surgeons, doctors and nurses to ensure that the highest standards of medical care are made available to all patients. They are well-assisted by qualified staff in the support services, personnel, finance & accounting and administration departments. As on 31st March, 2005, around 1.13 million patients had been examined and treated by the hospital at Prasanthigram while during the period January 2001 to March 2005, around 0.3 million patients were provided medical and surgical care at the Super-Speciality hospital at Whitefield, Bangalore.
(Click here to view the latest statistics)

These ‘Temples of Healing’ are Bhagawan’s gift to mankind and an expression of His compassion. What makes these hospitals unique is not just the state-of-the-art technology or the highly skilled medical professionals, but the atmosphere of Divine love that pervades the hospital and makes the healing possible. For Love is the Supreme Healer.