Wills Fairbank Pierce Memorial Hospital at Wai
of the Satara District of Maharashtra, India

The Wills Fairbank Pierce Memorial Hospital at Wai (W.F.P.M. Hospital) of the Satara District in India has a long history of service to the people of rural India. Since its inception in 1913, it has been providing excellent curative and preventive health care services in the Wai area. Today the 150-bed facility offers comprehensive surgical services in addition to primary and wellness care. The W.F.P.M. Hospital forms part of the health ministries of the Church of North India (CNI) a substantive and long-time partner of Global Ministries.

Until 1995 the hospital also operated a nursing school. The three-year nursing program was suspended due to a decrease in physician staffing that in turn caused a reduction in the number of patients the hospital was able to serve. The decision was made to eliminate the nurse-training program until this situation had changed.

The W.F.P.M Hospital holds true the tenet that “nursing is an inimitable wing in the field of health care.” To secure the best medical results, high quality nursing care is essential. Therefore, high quality nursing training is equally essential. For this reason, in 2005 the hospital began the process of reintroducing its School of Nursing and specifically the GNM nurse certification.

Before the first group of 20 GNM nurse candidates could begin classes, it was necessary to complete renovation of the Hostel and the School classrooms. Added to this were the acquisitions of books, charts, furniture, models, equipment for the nutrition laboratory, plus inspection and affiliation fees and salaries of the school staff. Between March and July 2005, representatives from the Maharashtra Nursing Council (MNC) and the Indian Nursing Council (INC) made inspections of the School and hospital. They, along with the government of Maharashtra, gave permission for the hospital to restart the GNM nurse certification program. In September of 2005, the first class of student nurses began the three-year study and practical program to become certified GNM nurses.

In order to enroll a second year class and subsequent groups of nursing students, added funding is needed to secure two additional instructors. Also, nearly all the students come from very poor backgrounds. Every nursing school candidate is considered for enrollment regardless of one’s ability to pay and no one is denied access because of caste or religion. While the actual tuition and boarding fees are only $280 per year, this past year only three students could actually pay that amount. Current and future students need scholarship subsidies in order to complete the three-year program.

While some tuition and other fees are required of all students, the revenue from these does not cover the complete costs of the program during the start-up period. The nursing school program will eventually become self-supporting. This will occur as the hospital increases the quality of its care (through an improved nursing staff) and is able to serve more patients and thus bring more revenue to the hospital.