Indian hospital founded by Scottish doctor to be transformed by Edinburgh charity

The hospital was founded by a Scottish doctor in 1930

It is a medical facility that was founded by Scottish physician Dr Cecil Duncan in 1930 and has served a rural community in North India for more than 100 years.

Now the Duncan Hospital in Bihar is to undergo a £4.5 million transformation, including almost doubling the number of beds and constructing a new college of nursing, as well as the installation of green energy technologies to power the existing buildings.

The project, which is funded by Edinburgh-based charity EMMS International, which has worked with the Duncan Hospital since 2010, will also pay for the training at the hospital of 48 female healthcare workers as part of the Duncan Centenary Vision project.

EMMS International chief executive Cathy Ratcliffe at the Duncan Hospital with a student who is benefitting from Healthcare Career Pathways funding to train new healthcare professionals, and other hospital staff.

The charity is now just £69,000 away from the £4.5m it needs to complete the work.

Cathy Ratcliff, chief executive of EMMS International, said the final push to raise to raise the money was “vital” for the community.

She said: “The hospital has got this long Scottish connection. The funding really is vital as this is a programme that is transformative for the hospital for these young women and for the patients and for the health workforce of India.”

She said the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the new buildings would help future-proof the hospital against rising temperatures. The original buildings were constructed in 1930 and are no longer fit for purpose.

Construction is underway for the new college of nursing at the hospital.

"They're also on the grid, but they have regular power cuts, so that's why they need a mix of diesel generators and solar panels,” she said.

“The hospital has to keep going no matter what when there’s a power cut. It also will mean they can save costs, which is important. There was a terrible heatwave recently and they are looking at a future of higher needs because of these heatwaves, so the air conditioning has become even more important.”

Dr Prabhu Joseph, medical director of the Duncan Hospital, said moving to green energy would offer huge benefits to the hospital.

He said: “Because of the regular power cuts, and surges, our medical equipment gets spoiled.

"This will mean equipment is improved, our carbon footprint is decreased and the expenses of the hospital will decrease. The conversion to solar will benefit us in numerous ways, as well as our patients.”

Initially founded as a small clinic run by Dr Duncan, a missionary, the hospital quickly grew to 30 beds.

However, it was closed for seven years from 1941 when the doctor was called up to serve in the Second World War.

The medical facility was later taken over and reopened by an Irish couple, Drs Trevor and Patricia Strong, before becoming part of Emmanuel Hospital Association group.

It now has around 200 beds, which it hopes to increase to 500 once the work is completed.