KOCHI: Sixty-one years of existence. Direct benefit to thousands of people in and around Kochi Refinery. The Ambalamugal Medical Aid Society (AMAS), a corporate social responsibility project of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), has taken another step in serving the people by upgrading the facility to 24 hour on all days with a capacity of 10 observation beds.
It was in 1965, Taylor Martin, the first Refinery Manager of Cochin Refineries, established the hospital out of compassion. The construction of the BPCL Refinery here had begun.
The local people in the region mainly depended on the hospitals in Tripunithura and Kochi for their health care needs. Taylor met a mother on the road side who was carrying her daughter, who died on the way to hospital, after suffering a snake bite. The incident moved Taylor deeply who then started the medical institution.
Since its beginning, the hospital was built with the collaboration of the refinery employees and the surrounding community. The Mahila Mandal (womens’ club) mobilised support through fund-raising events, while employees, their families and friends contributed to the society’s work. Benefit performances by celebrated artists, including K J Yesudas and Usha Uthup, also helped sustain the institution.
In 1990, AMAS started functioning in its own building with own pharmacy and facilities like laboratory. “The transition to round-the-clock operations follows a detailed feasibility study and master plan prepared by the Indian Medical Association, Cochin. The assessment examined demographics, existing health care infrastructure, outpatient and inpatient patterns, demand and supply, and the bed-to-population ratio in the region,” said an official of the Medical Aid Society.
In about 21,000 households, approximately 80,000 people live in the vicinity of the hospital and they have all benefitted from it.
