It is with deep regret that we wish to announce the sad demise of Dr.P.Hrishikesh on 12th of September 2011. He will be deeply missed. Born in Chennai on 21st January, 1926 , he had his School & College education in Vishakhapatnam and graduated in Medicine in 1953 from Andhra Medical College. In 1959, on a WHO Fellowship, he did his Masters in Public Health specialising in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. From 1960 to 1976 he was Professor in Community Health at Gandhi and Osmania Medical Colleges. In 1976 Dr. Hrishikesh was transferred to the Public Health Department and was promoted as Additional Director till 1983. Initially he worked as the Chief Medical Officer of Health in the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad and later was transferred to the Directorate of Health and appointed as Director Of Health in 1983-84. After superannuation in 1985 Dr. Hrishikesh joined Sivananda Rehabilitation Home as Chief Administrator. During his tenure as Chief Administrator Dr. Hrishikesh was responsible for the phenomenal growth of the Sivananda Rehabilitation Home and its recognition by the Government as a Nodal Institution for Leprosy for the DPMR programme for six districts in the Telangana region. The Home also received the best NGO Award for the year 2001-2002 for its excellent work in leprosy. Sivananda Rehabilitation Home today is considered as the leading institution in the Country in the field of Leprosy. In addition to the Leprosy project Sivananda Rehabilitation Home has diversified its activities and had taken up Tuberculosis Control Programme in a five lakh population and HIV/AIDS projects in recent years. The successful running of these projects is due to the leadership provided by Dr. Hrishikesh for which he had the full support and backing of the Home's founder Rani Kumudini Devi. He is survived by his wife Janaki, a son and a daughter.

The Consulate General of Germany, Chennai, has offered to help Sivananda Rehabilitation Home (SRH) pool up more funds for its leprosy centre and referral hospital.

German Consul Christiane Cranshaw visited different wings of SRH, including the hospital-cum-rehabilitation centre for leprosy patients, rehabilitation home for tuberculosis and AIDS patients, orphanage for HIV positive children and general hospital.

Honorary secretary of SRH J. Vikramdev Rao took Ms. Cranshaw around the campus.

The German Consul earlier handed over a Maruti van and a mini goods transport vehicle funded by the Consulate for the leprosy home to Mr. Vikramdev Rao.

Funding down

Explaining the activities of SRH since it was founded in 1958 by his mother Rani J. Kumudini Devi, Mr. Rao said it was unfortunate that funding for treatment of leprosy patients had come down drastically both from the government and overseas organisations like German Leprosy Relief Association (GLRA).

Chief administrator of SRH P. Hrishikesh, said that they had about 450 inmates in the leprosy home and about 25 out-patients come for check-up and treatment everyday. The home had a 200-bed referral hospital with facilities like physiotherapy, reconstructive surgery, orthopaedic workshop, x-ray and clinical sections. Though the Government of India had declared in 2005 that leprosy was eradicated, the incidence of the disease was on the rise again. The incidence of leprosy in slums of Hyderabad (15-lakh population) in 1978 was 90.3 per 10,000, but it was brought down to 0.67 by 2003 by SRH, he explained. However, lack of early detection due to the disbanded national programme had led to increase in the incidence to about 10 now, though exact statistics were not available in the absence of any survey since 2005.

(Press Note about the occasion)

Sivananda Center Hyderabad is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $ 2500 from Newman's Own Foundation in support of Orphanage for HIV children.

 

Paul Newman was committed to helping make the world a better place. To carry on his philanthropic legacy, Newman's Own Foundation donates all net royalties and profits after taxes from the sale of Newman's Own products to charity. To date, Paul Newman and Newman's Own foundation have given over $ 285 million to thousands of charities around the world. For more information, visit  www.newmansownfoundation.org

Hyderabad: HSBC Global Resourcing as a part of its overall Corporate Social Responsibility initiative has pledged USD 25,000 towards the support for 24 orphaned children suffering from HIV/AIDS. These children are a part of Sivananda Rehabilitation Home (SRH), an organisation based in Hyderabad, which works to restore health, hope and dignity to people affected by Leprosy, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. (Press Note about the occasion)

DPMR (Disability Prevention & Medical Rehabilitation ) Plan:
In the 11th Five Year Plan commencing from April 2007, the Government of India has identified SRH as one of the NGO’s to undertake DPMR (Disability Prevention & Medical Rehabilitation ) Plan activities in 7 Districts of Andhra Pradesh. These districts are Hyderabad Urban, Ranga Reddy, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad and West Godavari. Under this programme patients requiring reconstructive surgery will be treated, with the emphasis being on young patients and those who may lose their jobs because of the disability.