Spotlight

IndianOil's Assam Oil Division Hospital at Digboi
A Beacon of Hope

At Digboi, nestled in the Northeastern corner of India, where the Indian oil industry struck the first oil stream in 1889, is a landmark building-'IndianOil's Assam Oil Division Hospital'. The hospital is a beacon of hope to the thousands of residents of this charming town of Digboi, which itself is a heady mix of the quaint and the modern.

Soon after the commissioning of Asia's first oil refinery at Digboi in the year 1901, the erstwhile Assam Oil Company established a basic medical facility with a few beds in the year 1906. From such humble beginnings, now IndianOil's hospital at Digboi has over the years grown into a sophisticated multi-specialty hospital rendering service to not only IndianOil people and their families but also the public in the surrounding areas.

In its existence of over a hundred years, the hospital has been a trailblazer with many firsts to its credit. From grappling with malaria to treatment of lifestyle diseases like hypertension and diabetes, the role played by the hospital has undergone many changes over the years in keeping with the necessities of the times. It has steadfastly continued to be an institution by itself - a beacon spreading light and hope.

Apart from the Government Civil Hospital, the IndianOil-run hospital is the only one in Digboi to keep its door open to the residents of Digboi town; people from the nearby towns of Margherita and Ledo and parts of Arunachal Pradesh also use the hospital facilities. The hospital provides round-the-clock emergency services.

Excellent care
Says Ms Aparajita Gogoi from Department of Zoology, Digboi College, "I was admitted to the hospital for appendicectomy. During my 10-day stay, I received excellent care and attention. I extend my thanks to all the doctors, nurses and students. I must also thank the people who take care of the beautiful garden surrounding the hospital which relaxes and soothes patients."

"I was admitted to the hospital with 20% burn injury on my left leg, which was very painful. It was very difficult to cope without moral support till my parents arrived. But the care showered on me by the hospital staff was overwhelming. For 48 days, this hospital felt like home, with the dedicated medical team who attended on me so well ", shared A.J. Gupta, Sr. Fire & Safety Officer, IndianOil (Assam Oil Division).

The 15 doctors and 115 paramedical and support staff at the hospital are seen as angels of mercy.

Community service
The hospital is engaged in community development and public health programmes. Regular health camps are being conducted free of charge in the surrounding villages. These include eye camps for cataract operation, general health check-up camps, family planning camps and immunisation programmes. Any patient from these villages, if found seriously ill, is also treated at the hospital free of charge.

Comprehensive facilities
Today the main facilities available at the hospital are; Preventive Health Services, Promotive Health Services, Curative Health Services, Community Health Services, Employee Health Monitoring, Work Area Monitoring, Public Health Services, Academic: Diploma Course in Nursing.

During the initial years (1930s-1950s), the hospital worked with a skeleton staff where doctors multitasked by handling cases relating to medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology irrespective of their area of specialisation. Those years malaria was a killer disease and took much of their time and effort. From administering a spoonful of bitter quinine to all the employees lined up on a weekly basis, the anti-malarial efforts expanded to the establishment of an anti-malarial section headed by a specialist who was specially recruited. Due to the incessant efforts of the hospital, this endemic disease has been largely controlled in and around Digboi.

Along the way of its growth and expansion, preventive and public health services were introduced. It was in the year 1923 that the first microscope was installed in the hospital followed by a full-fledged pathological laboratory. Its first ECG machine put to service in 1955 was the first one too for the whole of North East India. The first Intensive Care Unit with facilities for cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, external cardiac pacing and Bird respirator was installed in 1971. The hospital also boasts of the first Burns Unit in the North Eastern region, equipped with modern gadgets and well-trained staff. The Unit has an excellent track record with 80% of the patients having survived their burn injuries. As the hospital had the first Burns Unit in the North East, several critical burn cases from Numaligarh Refinery, apart from the nearby areas, have been referred to the hospital and treated successfully.

The hospital saw rapid expansion in the last two decades after Assam Oil Division became a part of Indian Oil Corporation Limited. Today the hospital is a 200-bedded modern, well-equipped, multi specialty unit. There is also a newly refurbished Occupational Health Centre which regularly monitors employee health and working conditions.

Nursing school
A Nursing School attached to the hospital imparts training to the local girls equipping them with a degree in nursing which gives them economic independence. Way back in 1984, realising that trained nurses were in short supply, not only in the region but all over the country, the Assam Oil Division of IndianOil started a Nursing School attached to the hospital. The school, recognised by the Nursing Council of India, provides a 3 ½ year diploma course in nursing to local girls, mostly from the nearby villages. With a batch of 20 students every year, over 250 girl students have passed through the portals of the Assam Oil School of Nursing till date. All of them are gainfully employed at various medical establishments not only in the North East but also in the metro cities and outside India.

Seat of learning
The hospital also serves as a well-known seat of learning. It was the first private hospital in the Northeastern region to be recognized by the Medical Council of India for training Housemen for post-graduate studies. Doctors trained here are eligible for appearing in the MNAMS examination for entry into post-graduate classes. The hospital is also recognised by the Government of Assam for Radiographer & Laboratory Technician training and a year-long training is imparted to selected unemployed youth under the Community Development programme of IndianOil.

The hospital has also been promoting positive health through health education, popular talks, stress management workshops, yoga, etc.

"I have been associated with the hospital for the last 24 years; we have a dedicated group of professionals and a congenial academic environment with research facilities. There is always an opportunity to undertake research work to enhance our skills. It is indeed a landmark building in the small town! ", says Dr. N. Sarma, CMO (Surgery-In-patient).

Updated on April 03, 2008