Evangelical Mission Hospital
Evangelical Mission Hospital
Tilda is a small village in the state of Chhattisgarh which is in Central India.
It is near the Tilda Railway Station which ls on the main line from Bombay
(now Mumbai) to Calcutta. The land ls very flat and famous for growing rice.
The Rev Osker Lohr was the first American missionary to be sent in 1867 from
the state of New Jersey in America to India. He set sail from Boston for Bombay
where he met other missionary partners who convinced him that God was
calling him to work amongst the Satnamis In Central India. He had actually set
out to serve amongst the Santals In Bihar, the same area to which Marion was
called.
It was not untll 1924 that the first doctor, Dr Milton C Lang, set about the task
of drawing up plans for the first mission hospital and medical station to meet
the health needs of the area. In 1927, 12.5 acres of land were acquired near
the raliway station at Tilda.
Funds were provided by the Goetsch family. Dr Lang's house was built first to
enable him to supervise the construction of the hospital building. The doctor's
garage served as the first dispensary. Dr Lang became serlously Ill before much
progress could be made and was forced to leave India after only four years
Fortunately a successor, also from Amerlca, Dr Elmer Whitcomb, an experienced
physiclan and surgeon, was sent. He had Just completed a course at the Tropical
School of Medicine in London. To the Joy of both doctors they were able to meet
In Switzerland and discuss the Tllda plans. Dr. Whitcomb and his family arrived in
Indla In 1929.
The first Nursing Superintendent, Sister Minnie Gadt, came to Tilda in 1929 from
Baitalpur, some fifty miles from Tilda. In 1934 the School of Nursing for training
male nurses was started. It was not until 1941 that the first female students were
admitted.
Dr Whitcomb was the main doctor and surgeon for nearly 25 years at Tilda, until
he retired In 1953. The first Indian Christian doctor, Dr Lawrence Jiwanmall,
came to Tilda in 1934 to assist Dr Whitcomb and was there for ten years. From
1953 various doctors covered for short periods of time.
Then in 1963 Dr Madhu Deshmukh, a qualified general surgeon, was appointed
Director of the hospital and his wife Dr Mrs Louisa Deshmukh who specialised in
gynae obstetrics was appointed Medical Superintendent. They stayed at Tilda
for 33 year until 1996. In 1975 Marion Conacher came to work at Tilda as
Nursing Superintendant and also later as Director of the School of Nursing
In March 1996 Dr Umesh Suna came as Director to the Hospital with his wife Dr
Alka Suna. Their children were called Angel and Joy. They stayed at Tllda for ten
years.
In 2006 Dr Satyajit Jiwanmail, a grandson of Dr Lawrence Jiwanmall, was
appointed Director. He is a surgeon and his wife Dr Ashish is an anaesthetist
They have three children Monisha, Eva and isaac. Over the last few years Dr
Satyajit has taken on more staff, a Doctor and a Dentist. The staff regularly go
out to treat patients in villages close to Tilda.
It was in 2019 that the current Director, Dr Dennis Martin David took the leadership of the hospital. He is an Orthopaedic surgeon who did both his graduation and post graduation from Christian Medical College,Vellore. His Wife Mrs Sharel Singh David is the Public Health and Quality manager of the hospital. She is also a physiotherapist and has a MPH from CMC, Vellore.They are blessed with two children, Eve and Elijah.
