CHENNAI : In June 1993, Shalini* was nervously pacing up and down her chitthappa’s house in Alwarpet, sipping on jeera water that her mother promised would help with the pregnancy cramps. As the pain continued, she recalls, “I told my father I couldn’t take the pain and he just said, it’ll be over.” Soon, her chitthappa, hands shaking, drove them to the snaking empty Oliver Road and parked their Ambassador at St Isabel Hospital.
Shalini’s blurry memories of the hospital are intertwined with an entry into motherhood and her gynaecologist chatting away in the labour room. “The doctor was talking to me throughout the delivery, asking if I wanted a girl or boy, about my interests. I said I liked music and she asked me to sing. Who does that at such moments? She probably knew new mothers would be fearful and sulking, and didn’t want us to panic,” the 53-year-old shares, laughing. Soon, her firstborn would arrive, a small pink creature that weighed almost 2.6 kilogram.
Located in the health capital of Tamil Nadu, St Isabel Hospital — which recently completed 75 years on March 19 — has hand-held countless generations of women like Shalini through their delivery. Its corridors and walls carry memories of crying newborns, the exchange of tips and tricks, challenging births, and the beginning of the obstacle course that is parenthood.
The conception
St Isabel’s general ward became a temporary home for 56-year-old Lakshmi in 1998. To navigate a challenging pregnancy, newspapers, books and the melodies of MS Subbulakshmi kept her company for ten months. “Till the time I gave birth, Dr Lakshmi Kumari would come every morning and evening to check my pulse and ask how I was doing. The hospital was neat and clean and I had an overall good time till my cesarean in August,” she says.
Lakshmi’s husband, Mahesh* was glad to entrust her in the space, as she wasn’t alone but surrounded by other expecting mothers. “In Mylapore, there were two important landmarks – Vivekananda College and Kapaleeswarar temple. But if you tell any auto fellow, Isabel Hospital, they’ll take you right here,” he says.
Writer Nadika, too, recalls a stretch leading up to Vivekananda College, and cycling past a bylane to Luz Church, as a child. “It used to be a one-way, with not too many vehicles, just one or two buses. The hospital campus was a big place, and the walk from the gate to the campus was quiet. My sister was born there and it was very exciting for us.” she says.
Today, Oliver Road is busy and filled with vehicles, but St Isabel’s continues to be a landmark. Crowds sip elaneer outside the campus, concerned to-be fathers drop their wives, and parents trail their daughters. The labour ward is ever bustling — worried mothers ask duty doctors what their daughters, can eat post-delivery, one jokingly asks if there are gifts for the Easter season, and new mothers bond with their newborns.
Imagine, this four-acre parcel of land used to be a forest, says Dr Sr Philomena Joseph, senior consultant obstetrician, and gynaecologist. The origin of this healthcare facility has roots in the congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters, Irene, Alzira, Gloria and Maria de Lourdes Pio, from Portugal. “In those days, there was no private hospital, only Stanley Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. After the Second World War, the Portuguese sisters realised there was a lack of facilities and started the hospital. Initially, only the maternity ward existed. Our motto was to ‘do good where good was to be done’,” she explains.
The hospital’s patron saint and namesake, St Isabel, was known for charity and compassion to the poor and marginalised people, says Dr Philomena. A statue of this patron saint has been overlooking the hospital premises, since its inception as the first private healthcare facility catering to women. “In those days, most women gave birth at home. Maternal mortality was high and childbirth was unpredictable, and women passed due to bleeding or hypertension. Malnutrition and anaemia were common,” she says, adding that now awareness and follow-ups are more common.
Need for revamp
According to a report in The Indian Express in 1949, the foundation stone was laid by then-health minister AB Shetty and the “building scheme includes the construction of a number of infirmaries capable of accommodating 200 beds, a maternity block with eight wards, an outpatient block.” In the spirit of accessible healthcare, patients used to be charged `5 per day and now it is around `250, says Dr Philomena. Fast-forwarding past decades, this facility has grown to include cath labs, outpatient departments, and general wards.
For Gopi R and his relatives, St Isabel’s has been the de facto hospital for years, but is in dire need of revamp. “Four years ago, my mother had a minor surgery and the idea was to shift her to the ward before discharging her. So, as the attendant, I was able to use the ward’s AC room and was appalled by how hygiene wasn’t one of their strong points. The pillow that was given for the patient’s bed had a blood stain. The lady who came the next morning to clean the restroom, despite having her gloves on, didn’t remove it while opening the main door and the bathroom door,” says Gopi. He adds that the hospital is known for providing decent treatment for a good price, but has failed to update itself over the years and needs stringent rules, especially hygiene.
Dr Philomena points out the number of patients have dropped over the years. Yet, she is ecstatic when several strangers across Chennai or other cities approach her to mention they were born at St Isabel’s; many tell her that over three generations of women in their homes have given birth there. “There is this idea of Madras as a no-nonsense, no-frills place. This is largely true. And Isabel is that. It does its job and keeps doing it without needing anything more. A sense of quiet dignity. A lot of Madras landmarks are like that,” points out Nadika.
These Madras landmarks — beyond heritage buildings, forts, or monuments — continue to live fondly in our memory. Even now, when Shalini visits the city and passes by St Isabel Hospital, her eyes glimmer and she points to block C “this is where my son was born.”
*Names changed