THE TRIBAL HEALTH CARE IN SALUR | Newsletter #1 | Jan 2019

Serving the Poor & Needy Since 2008

In Partnership with

PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

About T.H.I.S
T.H.I.S is focused on transform the lives of the Gadaba People by providing a chance to break the cycle of ill health, isolation
and poverty that they face everyday. Dr. Sunder Rao & Valli Rao, Indian origin lived in Norwich, UK and pediatrician by
profession visited TLM Hospital in the year 2008 during October/November month. They were very much touched and
moved to see the compassionate care being provided at TLM Hospital at Salur. During their stay they went around the
nearby villages and realized God has sent them to do something for these people. They spoke to the than superintendent of
TLM Salur and share their ideas. And since then TLM and T.H.I.S working together for the upliftment of these marginalized
people.

Improved health and development of Tribal people in the Key objectives of THIS are to

communities living in 4 villages of Salur Mandal : 1. Set up well-Child Clinics in 4 tribal villages.
• Chinna Cheepuruvalasa 2. Identify problems early and take necessary action.
3. Give Health education to School children.
• Pedda Cheepuruvalasa 4. To provide free medicines to common medical
• Panasalapadu conditions.

From the Founders Desk

MISSION TO SALUR : Dr Ratna Sunder Rao Bethapudy & Mrs.Dr.Kanaka Valli Rao Bethapudy have been working in UK for more
than 40 years and as community pediatricians for more than 30 years in Norwich, Norfolk UK. they have two children, son
works as a General Practioner (doctor) near Norwich and daughter as a Dentist in London. both went to Ireland and UK in 1975
and moved to Norwich, UK in 1983. They are specialized in Community Pediatrics and have worked as community pediatricians
in Norwich until their retirement 2007 and decided to offer their lives to the poor and needy in India.

They choose Salur because that’s where we left for England in 1975 for further studies. Since we Started our Mission Work in
August 2008. Now the work has expanded in to Not only Leprosy Patients but also Leprosy colonies, Tribal Health care in Salur
Villages.

John 15:12 ‘’My commandment is this ‘’ Love one another as I have loved you’’
Page #1
About the Founders
We are a husband and wife team. Our names are Dr. Sunder Rao Bethapudy
and Dr.(Mrs) Kanakavalli Rao Bethapudy. We have been working in UK for
more than 30 years and as community pediatricians for more than 20 years
in Norwich, Norfolk UK.

We have two children, our son works as a General Practioner (doctor) near
Norwich and daughter as a Dentist in London.

My wife comes from Vizianagaram . Her father is Degala Jacob and her
mother (Mrs) Degala Padmavathi. The family attended Canadian Bapist
Mission Sim’s Memorial church in Vizianagaram. My wife is educated in
Vizianagaram and studied medicine at Andhra Medical College,
Vishakapatnam., Andhra Pradesh.

I come from Gudivada, Krishna District. and my father is Dr. James Bethapudy
who worked all his life as a medical officer in Kurnool district and my mother
is ( Mrs) Mary Sundaram Bethapudy. My family attended Christ Church,
Gudivada. I had my school education in Chennai (Madras ) and did my
medicine in Magalore.

We both went to Ireland and UK in 1975 and moved to Norwich, UK in 1983.

We specialised in Community Paediatrics and have worked as community
paediatricians in Norwich until our retirement.

We retired from our service in 2007. We prayed to our Lord even before we
retired for direction to serve our Lord. Without any specific direction, we
went to Salur because that was the last place I worked before we left for UK
in 1975 and prayed to our Lord ‘’ if you do not want us to be here , impede
our progress and put obstructions.’’ Now the whole project is multiplying
every year. If one door closes, another door opens. We added Evangelical
work through the Local church Calvary Bapist Church, Salur along with our
Medical work.

These verses are all about serving our Lord Jesus Christ and service to Him.
We can not have Christ if we will not serve him and obey his
commandments. If we take Christ we must take him not only as a friend but
also as our Master.

Serving our Lord is like our second Employment, using all the skills and
knowledge we acquired during out first Employment.

The whole project at Salur is based on this New Commandment from our
Lord (John 15:12) LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

Our Partner Hospital - Philadelphia Community Salur

T.H.I.S is mainly based in the Philadelphia Community Salur, using the nursing staff, eye technician and the doctors who are
working in the hospital. The three villages covered are habited by the Mudhili Gadaba tribal population. These tribal
population are very much ostracized with poor access to medical services. Their need for medical services is high. For any
major ailments, the patients are referred to Philadelphia Community Hospital. The team consists two nurses, an eye
technician, two drivers and a doctor. The team goes out to the villages and run the clinics twice a week. The doctor goes out
with the team once in a month.

The eye technician picks cataracts in the aged population and squints among the school children and give them appropriate
treatment and refer them to the eye surgeon. Each one of them knows their jobs and they all fit in like the pieces in the
puzzle and work as a team. This service has been running for the last 10 years successfully by the will of God.
Page #2
Ten Year Milestone of T.H.I.S Reached in 2018
Below are the key milestones we reached during the last decade serving the poor and need in Salur. We have many more
milestones we achieved. Most of these are available at https://tribalhealthcaresalur.weebly.com/our-work.html.

Through Surveyed and Identified Three Remote Tribal Villages with no Medical Services. We Contacted the
2008 Village heads and Explained to them and Setup a Clinics for Tribal Children and Adults to Provide Free Health
Services.
We Continued to provide Free medical Care Both to Children and Adults, we also Introduced for high Blood
2009
Pressure and Diabetic and Health Education to Children.
2010 In addition to what we have done in the last two years we have started screening for Cataract Surgery.
We introduced school medicals for any speech problems, hearing problems, vision difficulty and Cognitive
2011 Skills. Providing Annual medical examination and general clinics for adults and we have given School Bags,
Note-books, Pencils, Indoor Sports Equipment.
We Continued to Provide All the Services including screening and picked up few Hypertension patients and
2012
provided free medications.
2013 Apart from what we have been doing in the past years. We Introduced Health Education on personal Hygiene.

2014 We have Provided School Medicals and Provided Clothes for the Children and Footwear at Free of cost

2015 Started Free Medical Camps in Vizianagaram District and continued to do the Tribal Health.
Screening for the cancers of the palate as the tribal men and Women smoke cigar with lighted end in their
2016
mouths.
In addition to Tribal health care we introduced Sumitra Raju Charity Foundation, doing General Medicines
2017
clinics to non tribal villages in Vizianagaram Districts at free of cost.
We have Successfully Running Tribal Health Care and Continued to do the same for the past 10 years and
2018
provided free medical services for the poor non tribal village folk.

Philadelphia Community Hospital – Salur.

The Leprosy Mission Hospital Salur has been serving the community since 1906. It was
initially established as an asylum for leprosy affected individuals. The name Philadelphia
means “city of brotherly love”. Since that time, the care given to patients in this hospital is
characterized by love and compassion. Many individuals who have come here and gone
out with hope and an improved quality of life. There has been significant drop in the
prevalence of leprosy but it is not yet eradicated. New cases continue to be diagnosed
and old ones still need expert care. As per NLEP (National Leprosy Eradication Program)
Annual Report for 2016 – 2017. New cases defected in 2016 – 2017 was 1,35,485 increase
of 6.40% from 2015 – 2016. To reduce the stigma in the society we have integrated
leprosy care with general medical care in our hospital. Our focus remains on leprosy and
in preventing disabilities related to the disease.
D. Shyam Babu working as Ophthalmic Technician working for the
past 33 year at Philadelphia Leprosy Hospital. His son Shimmi
got married on 17th December 2018. May God Bless them and
Guide them in their future.
Newly Wedded couple
of PLH Family

Dr Pavani Juttuka Joined as Medical Officer on 22nd November

2018 in Philadelphia Leprosy Hospital, Salur. She has worked for
multi-Speciality hospitals for the past six years. She is dedicated
and wants to serve the Leprosy rest of her Life.

New Medical Officer

Page #3
in PLH
 “Now I can Proudly say My name is Sujatha“
Success Story
Raparthi Sujatha is the younger daughter of Raparthi Bapanna, from Komarada, S.Kota Mallipudi,
Visakhapatnam Dist, Andhra Pradesh. Her father is a mason and her mother is a housewife. She
studied till 7th class in Government school in S.Kota. Her father earns about 200/-per day. She has
two elder sisters who are married. They stay in a rented house. She had some blisters on her feet
and had no clue of what it was for 3 / 4 years. Once while walking accidentally she kicked on her
blisters and the wound did not heal for a long time.

Later Sujata’s life was devastated when she was diagnosed with Leprosy at 15 years of age. As the
years passed, Sujata developed claw hands and that made her life even more difficult. Apart from the
helplessness of her condition, Sujata had to carry the stigma of the disease. Because of deformity in
her fingers, she could not carry water or do anything. She could not even eat rice with her hand; she
would eat only with the spoon. People in her village use to mock her because of leprosy and often
looked down to her. Many times she was thinking of committing suicide by hanging herself or falling
under a train. Her father’s earning is not enough to meet family needs. Before Surgery

They collect leaves and make plates with them and sell. They find it difficult to meet their ends with
low earnings, but somehow they manage. When TLM Salur came to know about Sujatha through
Government hospital, Our Staff went, met and counsel her and did surgery for both her hands. When
we visited her a couple of months after the surgery, we saw a more confident and hopeful young
woman.After the operation she felt much better and now she can do all her work by herself, whether
it’s washing clothes or eat her food, or clean her house, she can do it all.

Sisters are happy to see her hands straightened and that she is able to work now. Her parents are
happy to see her operation was successful and able t do all her work and help her mother. All her
relatives are very happy now.TLM Salur wanted Sujatha to be able to earn a little on her own. So we
gave her a brand new sewing machine through a sponsor so she can earn her living. With the
machine which we gave her, she could able to stitch clothes and earn some money and she will be
able to give some money to her parents. Seeing her parents happy she feels happy as well. Even
they feel happy for her because there is a great change in her and now she is able to stand by them After Surgery
and they don’t have to do everything for her. Now Sujata’s only desire is that she do not want to be a
burden to her parents and she is looking forward to work and earn her living.
She wants her parents to see her working and want them to be happy knowing that she can live by herself. Today Sujatha is
living a transformed life and is thankful for the help she received. Parents says that sseeing our daughter after her operation
it gives us great joy and Thanks to TLM Salur for helping my daughter financially for her operation and giving her the sewing
machine. We want to thank TLM Salur from the bottom of our hearts.

When we were coming out from her home after handing over the Sewing machine Sujatha thank us with a folding hand and
with a smile told us “Now I can proudly say my name is Sujatha” (in telugu Sujatha means beautiful)
Word of the month
“They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.’ John 8:27
NKJV As parents feel for their children, God feels for (you). Psalms 103:13
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow
not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is
cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall
we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for
your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25-34 (KJV)

Website: tribalhealthcaresalur.weebly.com Contact: +447710880031 Email : healthcaresalur@gmail.com Page #4