Abbreviation COCH | Founded at Kakinada Founded 1973 | |
Formation 13 April 1973 (1973-04-13) Legal status Body corporate under the Indian Societies Registration Act Membership (2015) 4 participating hospitals and 1 nursing school | ||
Council of Christian Hospitals (COCH), an autonomous body of the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, facilitates the management of the medical institutions founded by the Missionaries of the Canadian Baptist Mission. The COCH is a body corporate under the Indian Societies Registration Act and has its registered office in the premises of one of its participating hospitals, the CBM Christian Medical Centre, Pithapuram in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.
Contents
Formed on April 13, 1973, the COCH sets an annual agenda in the line of the Missionary endeavour to serve the poor and the needy. In terms of continuing education, the COCH is one of the members of the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore where the two members of the Council participate in the Annual General Meeting of the Association of the Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore. As a sponsoring body, the COCH also communicates with members of the Churches under Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars inviting applications for possible sponsorship to eligible students to study health-related courses at the Christian Medical College & Hospital in Vellore.
The COCH is represented at ecumenical forums as a member of the Christian Medical Association of India, an affiliated institution of the National Council of Churches in India comprising members from the Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India.
Background
Baptist missionaries from Canada first came to Ramayapatnam in 1868 in southern Andhra Pradesh working along with the American Baptist missionaries. On the invitation extended by the Indian Missionary, Thomas Gabriel who was involved in spreading the Gospel in parts of East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna districts in the northern coastal parts of Andhra Pradesh., the Canadian Baptist Mission began sending Missionaries to India in 1974 to partner with Thomas Gabriel. Apart from Church-related ministries of evangelism and leadership training, there was also the development ministries that included aiding people in agricultural, health and educational development.
In addition to the intervention among the Telugus in Andhra Pradesh, the missionaries also covered southern Odisha working among the Soura, Kui and the Odiya and later in 1922, the Serango Christian Hospital was opened in Gajapati District.
William Gordon Carder, formerly Professor of Church History at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad wrote that it was Dr. E. G. Smith who could be termed as the first Medical Missionary from the Canadian Baptist Mission who was sent to India in 1894. In the ensuing years', a total of eight hospitals were founded by the Canadian Baptist Mission. Medical missions formed part of the development ministries. In the later half of the nineteenth century, the Missionaries entrusted leadership to their co-partners, the Indians, resulting in the formation of the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) which had also Educational, Theological, and Medical Committees. However, it was felt that the Medical Committee be made autonomous. Hence on April 13, 1973, the COCH was formed as an autonomous body take forward the medical ministry of the Canadian Baptist Ministries.
Supporters
Apart from the Canadian Baptist Ministries, the Hospitals and Nursing School of the COCH are partly funded by the following institutions: