Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov30/d1.asp
 

Saturday, November 30, 2002

Sathya Sai hospital inaugurated
in Alike

DH News Service, MANGALORE, Nov 29

The success of a hospital is not to be measured by the intake of patients, but it should be judged by the atmosphere of health and happiness it creates in its vicinity, Prof Anil Kumar of the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Alike said here today. 

Inaugurating the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital at Alike, Prof Anil Kumar said if super specialty hospitals with modern services including free heart surgeries for the poor and needy are the direct manifestations of the divinity of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the general hospital at Alike was an indirect manifestation of the Baba’s divinity.

He also touched upon the Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Project through which drinking water was supplied at the door-steps of families of 700 parched villages of Andhra Pradesh, a work even the State or the Central governments did not venture in the past. The Baba also provided free education from kindergarten (KG) to post-graduate (PG) level, he told the vast gathering. 

Prof Anil Kumar said the Baba was very much pleased by the good work going on at Alike and had promised to visit the campus as early as possible when the crowd thinned down at Prashanthi Nilayam.

Mr B N Narasimha Murthy, warden of Sri Sathya Sai Students Hostel at Brindavan campus and a close companion of late Madiyala Narayana Bhat who founded the Alike campus paid tributes to Bhat on the occasion.
He also recalled that Bhat had cherished a dream to have a hospital at Alike to render service to the needy in rural areas.

Mr U Gangadhara Bhat, president of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust which manages the Alike campus, in his welcome address, said hundreds of devotees had offered service in making the hospital project a reality.
Several medical and paramedical personnel had come forward to offer services at the general hospital, Mr Bhat said. 

Mr Panduranga Prabhu, the engineer who undertook the construction work of the hospital was felicitated on the occasion. Mr Anand proposed the vote of thanks. Cultural programmes including Yakshagana were held at the campus in the evening.