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Centre for Excellence
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Sree Chithira Institute
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Travancore, an
erstwhile province of pre-independent India, was ruled by
Sree Chitra Tirunal Maharajah until the country became
independent in 1947. The Government of India took over the
province after the independence.
Known for their munificence, the Maharajah and members of
the royal family of Travancore considered themselves 'dasas'
(servants) of Lord Padmanabha, the reigning deity of
Travancore. Interestingly, they wore a turban instead of a
crown as a mark of respect to Lord Padmanabha. Their
philanthropy finds expression in their countless
contributions to the country, then and now.
On a visit to a super-specialty hospital in Europe, Sree
Chitra Tirunal Maharajah was seized with a deep desire to
establish a similar institution in Kerala. Those were the
times when tertiary cares in cardiovascular and neurological
diseases were not available in the State.
In the summer of 1974, the Maharajah's dream was fulfilled
when the royal family made a gift that carried in its womb
the beginnings of what later turned out to be the Sree
Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology.
About this time, Dr. M.S. Valiathan, trained abroad in
surgery and biomedical science, returned to India to guide
the destiny of the Institute. Supported magnificently by
Shri. C. Achutha Menon, the then chief minister of Kerala,
the Government of Kerala took the unusual step of placing
the center under the Department of Science and Technology in
the State. During the initial period, patient care was
limited to cardiology and neurology. Soon, a multi-storeyed
building was added to meet the increasing demand. The
expansion of clinical services did not alter from the
scientific objective of the Institute and a field of
endeavor relevant to its scientific and social interests was
sought. The choice fell on biomaterials and a full-fledged
Biomedical Technology Wing came into existence.
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A steadily
growing market in the post-war years had created a
multi-million dollar industry for medical devices abroad. A
rough estimate of India's imports in the early seventies had
placed their annual price tag at 400-500 million rupees.
Rising to the need of the hour, the medical center initiated
a project for the development of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
bags for storage of blood and fabrication of valvular
prostheses. The significance of the effort at integrating
medical science and technology was recognized by the
Government of India which declared the Institute an
"Institute of National Importance" in 1980. By 1994, the
institute had successfully developed and transferred many a
technology to industry, bringing to fruition a
long-cherished dream of its Founder-Director whose twenty
years of tireless striving left its indelible mark on the
fabric of the Institute. |
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In 1994, the
mantle of Directorship fell on one who, from within, had
witnessed with joy and pride all important milestones in the
brief history of the Institute. To meet the dearth of health
professionals at decision making and planning levels in
government, a course in Public Health was started with the
help of an International faculty in the newly commissioned
third wing of the Institute, named the Achutha Menon Center
for Health Sciences. The three centers, with their clinical
and research activities, function to fulfill an abiding
commitment to high quality health care to the community in
the areas of cardiology and neurology, at a time when the
cost of health care has escalated beyond the reach of a
majority.
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http://www.sctimst.ac.in |
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History of
Kerala
