The Rotary Club of Enfield began supporting the Shamlaji Hospital in India soon after club member Kiran Majmudar visited what was then a makeshift clinic in 2004. Photos he brought to the club showed a building with little in the way of medical equipment, supplies, drugs or even furniture. One vehicle served as an ambulance and mobile medical clinic; however, travel to outlying villages was limited because very little medicine was available to dispense. Since many in the local area and region live far below poverty levels, much of the care was provided free-of-charge.

Enfield club members voted to raise funds to support the hospital as an international service project in 2004-2005. With the help of 12 other clubs in District 7890, a total of $3,000 was raised. Rotary's donation supported basic medical services, such as mother and child care and eye clinics, and helped purchase supplies of medicines and drugs to use in the hospital and dispense to neighboring villages.

When Kiran returned to India in 2008, he once again visited Shamlaji Hospital and found that medical equipment—some of it modern—and medical supplies were more visible. He also found that many basic hospital services were being provided and that visits to surrounding villages had increased. Over the past eleven years the hospital's service area increased to 100 villages.

In 2015, the Enfield Rotary Club continued our annual support and donated an additional $500 to the Shamlaji Hospital. The donation provided Eye and Cataract surgery for 20 patients. You can see for yourself what Shamlaji Hospital has accomplished and what their list of future goals looks like by visiting their website at

http://shamlajihospital.org/ 

The hospital wants to do even more to serve the poor population, hire more full-time doctors, develop cardiac services and an ICU, open a neonatal ICU, reach out to more tribal villages, etc. Their 15-year wish list keeps going with an air of optimism, confidence and hope.

If you would like to support our fundraising efforts for our 2016 donation to the Shamlaji Hospital, or if you have any questions, please contact Carol Bohnet, International Chair, Rotary Club of Enfield at 860- 741-3701 or email cbohnet@alliedgroup.org.