MVJ Group of Institutions: A Teacher's Vision behind a Rural Hospital Establishment

Sarath Syam
On a Thursday afternoon in the month of December, a group of men dressed up in private security uniforms lined up at the corporate office of Venkatesha Education Society, Bangalore. It was the last round of recruitment for the security staff at MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, which is run by Venkatesha Education Society. They had to meet Dr. Mohan, Chairman of MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, a surgeon by profession whose demand for quality always takes the highest priority. He quizzed the candidates on various areas ranging from personal background to professional ethics to ensure that each one of them were capable of taking up the responsibility of providing a secure environment in the medical institute. It would be surprising for many board level executives leading huge organizations to see Dr. Mohan finding time to personally interview the security staff. Sitting in a modest office space, he says, "We do not compromise on safety and security. I personally interview every employee joining my institution, including the ones provided by outsourcing companies. They have to convince me that they are good enough to join our organization. For me Venkatesha Education Society is not just a group of institutions, this is my father's vision and dream."

Established in 1970, Venkatesha Education Society was a dream of Dr. M. V Jayaraman. He was one of the very few individuals who saw his dream take tangible shape through the formation of the MVJ Group of Institutions. The group is dedicated to the cause of Education and empowerment of teachers. "When he (Dr. Jayaraman) came to Bangalore as Tamil teacher, his vision was to establish many teacher-training institutions, so that the children in the society received good quality teaching. He did not envision Venkatesha Education Society as a business entity, but as a platform of social upliftment," remembers Dr. Mohan. Venkesha Education Society came into existence by starting few Teachers Training colleges (D.Ed Colleges), including MVJ College of Education.

The number of educational institutes under Venkatesha Education Society periodically increased and each one of them set new benchmarks in Indian education. By 1993, when the society lost Dr. Jayaraman, he had uplifted his entire higher educational establishment to its peak by adding engineering and polytechnic colleges. However, his one great dream remained unaccomplished-"He wanted to establish a hospital with free services to the people who were living in the rural areas. Alas, he passed away without being able to turn his dream into a reality," says Dr. Mohan. That was a time when Bangalore had many good hospitals inside the city premises. However, they were not affordable to the rural people from nearby villages. It was then Dr. Mohan's turn to fulfill his father's vision of establishing MVJ Hospital with the best infrastructure and free healthcare services for the rural people.

The Medical Establishments

It was a tough challenge for Dr. Mohan to setup a hospital that provides free healthcare services to the rural people, as the cost involved in the project was hefty. However, he found the solution by combining the hospital with a medical college, which excels in clinical research and patient care. In 2001, Dr. Mohan succeeded in his mission and setup MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital with a capacity of 1000 beds in Hoskote, at a distance of 30 kms from Bangalore. The college is recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and is affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) for conducting the medical undergraduate program leading to the award of MBBS degree. The college is also permitted by MCI and RGUHS for postgraduate degree courses in 12 disciplines and Post Graduate Diploma Courses in six disciplines. This caters to all specialities from General Medicine, ENT, Surgery, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, Dermatology and OBG with massive strength of 300 plus Doctors in addition to 400 plus non-teaching employees.

"We have successfully treated more than 11 lakh patients, covering 400 villages since 2003, as a fulfilment of my father's vision," Dr. Mohan proudly claims. While the medical expenses are constantly rising, it is noteworthy that the health care services provided by MVJ Hospital are free for both outpatients and in-patients. The hospital has ultra-modern hi-tech facilities in all the investigation departments of Pathology, Microbiology and Biochemistry and they provide round the clock services in these investigation departments, along with Imaging (CT & MRI), blood bank and pharmacy. They also emphasize on special care to the trauma patients from road traffic accidents since the hospital is located in the National Highway 4 near Hoskote. "My family is committed to ensure that every patient the steps inside gets a free treatment from our hospital, which covers surgery also," explains Dr. Mohan.

MVJ MC&RH is ISO 9001:2008 Certified by TUV Rheinland & they are in the process in getting NABH accreditation.

On the other hand, upon seeing the demand for qualified nurses rising constantly as personal care in healthcare was gaining more significance, the management started MVJ College of Nursing within the premises of the Medical College. With this new addition to the group, the group became one of the few nursing colleges in Bangalore that has a parent hospital where students can practice and observe first hand procedures. "They get the best exposure from our own hospital with our doctors and patients, including the surgical procedure happening in our own hospitals," says Dr. Mohan. Since 2004, the college has contributed numerous qualified and trained Nurses to the healthcare sector and many of them are now have a secured life abroad with lucrative pay packages.

"Being a General Surgeon myself, I understand the need for quality medical education in the society. Thus, I cannot compromise on the quality and I am committed to the betterment of quality medical education and I do not believe in the standard of deemed university. I believe in the standard of the University run by the government," says Dr. Mohan, who believes that a strong commitment with a vision and tireless efforts will always end in success. Chasing our dreams and desires to create a success story is a difficult job. It is even for more difficult for the one who is chasing dreams, which do not really belong to him. If Venkatesha Education Society emerged from Dr. Jayaraman's vision, then MVJ Group of Institutions are the fulfilment of his dreams and desires carried out by his sons, Dr. Mohan & his brothers Mr. Ramani & Mr. Balachander and other well-wishers. Dr. M.V. Jayaraman's vision is evident today in each one of the 11 leading institutions established by the Venkatesha Education Society. Knowing that there cannot be a better tribute to the man whose eyes embraced the future, than to take his dream forward; Venkatesha Education Society has been striving tirelessly to further the cause of education in the country.

Panel 1: Dr. M. J. Mohan

He is the Chairman of MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital and Secretary & Correspondent to the other institutions that are running under Venkatesha Education Society. He has finished his MBBS from Bangalore University and done MS in General Surgery from Kuvempu University.

Panel 2: MV Jayaraman Foundation Scholarship

In its endeavor to impart knowledge to the deserving and meritorious students, MVJ College of Engineering, in remembrance of its founder and to carry the torch of his legacy, has instituted scholarships for academic excellence through Dr. M V Jayaraman foundation for its Undergraduate and Postgraduate programs. Each year the foundation provides a large number of scholarships across all its disciplines. The foundation proposes scholarships of 1.75 crore to aid the education of 45 meritorious students every year under the merit scholarship category.

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