“We have finished the building but in a place like Mokokchung, the problem is with the doctors. We will need certain specialist doctors who have heart for the people.”
– Dr. Sungtiakum Jamir, founder of Anava Foundation.
Founded by Dr. Sungtiakum Jamir of Changki village and his wife, Dr. Nadia Jamir of Switzerland, Anava Hospital is a project underway at Settsü village, Mokokchung. The hospital with a current capacity for 40 beds is constructed under Anava Welfare Society in India which is supported by the Anava Foundation in Switzerland.
About him:
Dr. Sungti Jamir as a child studied in Queen Mary Higher Secondary School for two years and pursued his secondary education from Boarding school in Shillong. He then went on to study MBBS in Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh and completed his post graduate degree Diplomate of National Board (DNB) in Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakahand. Later, he worked as a surgeon in Subbamma Christian Hospital in Andhra Pradesh.
About her:
Nadia Jamir is of Swiss origin who grew up in Nepal till she was eight years old along with her Swiss father and her British-Greek mother.
Nadia then moved to Switzerland to complete her medical study although her parents moved back to India in 2007. After her medical studies, she pursued her internship in Uttarakhand where she met Dr. Sungti and eventually got married in 2011.
The couple then worked in the Subbamma Christian Hospital together for a while until they decided to return to Switzerland to complete Nadia’s specialization in gynecologist and operative gynecologist which took her 8 years.
About the Engineer:
Raju Pairyar is the project manager from Nepal who completed his Bachelors in Civil Engineering from School of Engineering College under Pokhara University. He then pursued his post-graduation in Structural Engineering from International Institute of Management and Technical Studies (IIMTS Gujarat).
How it all started in Mokokchung
The couple at that time in their career was working in a Medical Mission in Andhra Pradesh.
According to Sungti, it was their trip to Mokokchung where he was visiting his elder sister and brother-in-law, Dr. Sunep, when one evening, an interaction with a vegetable vendor sparked the idea of building a medical center in Mokokchung.
“One day, Nadia and I were at the New Market in Salangtem ward where we came across a lady vendor of Bihari origin who kept asking about our whereabouts and what we do. And as we responded to her about our profession and what we do, she lamented about it and asked, ‘Why aren’t you coming here and building a hospital for us?’ That got my wife thinking, is it really that bad here? And I think that initiated our thoughts of actually starting something here,” Sungti shared.
“There was also this experience where when we were working in Andhra, we realized that the caste dynamics in the country prevented people from getting access to health care. I mean, we were there waiting for hours for people who needed our service to show up but just because the hospital was built by someone from a low-caste, there were very few visitors. While, here was a place where people needed us desperately. So, there was this contrast of waiting for hours and people here asking us why we are not working here. It mainly was the irony of going to a place where we thought was needed but the need was larger for him at home, “ Nadia added.
How Anava Foundation came into being
Anava Foundation was founded in 2016 as a society. When the couple had the idea to start this hospital, the people living in Switzerland encouraged them to start the society. That way people could contribute towards building the hospital.
“We did not want it to be business in a sense; we are not here to make money because if I were to make money, we’d be in Switzerland because we can earn a lot more money there than we can earn here. So, that’s not our intention. Our intention is to cater to the need of the people in a sense that we can give charity to people and make sure that the services are good. And even if we do make a profit, we want to invest in others like, I don’t know but just in a charitable way. That’s why we made the Anava Foundation. And also, the people in Switzerland can donate towards it and are also tax exempted because it’s a charitable society, “ Nadia narrated
“It’s to give people a platform to get involved,” added Sungti.
Who funds the project
It is a charitable project and hence the project runs with contribution from well-wishers, friends and family. The foundation has been exempted from tax due to its charitable nature.
“We have contributed financially but we did not build by money from our pockets alone. Family, friends, Swiss Churches and people in Switzerland and India took part in the charity and have contributed a lot,” Sungti said.
When asked if they have ever campaigned or reached out for donations and financial aid, the couple shared that they have never done a campaign or have intended to reach out to governments and bureaucrats.
“We have never done any campaign but I’d be happy if people over here contribute because this project definitely includes them as well,” Nadia added.
Challenges faced during construction
The couple faced a lot of challenges with their project starting from the change in architecture to dealing with the pandemic. According to them, such hurdles made them unsuccessful in completing their project in their planned tentative date.
“We did face a lot of challenges. The first one was with our construction. We first had a Swiss architect with us and only when everything had kicked started did we realize that the calculations did not fit in with the Indian standards and regulations. So, we had to then bring in an Indian Engineer and that’s where Raju – our architect joined us, he is a Nepali engineer. With him, we had a change of plans as we made this one huge structure into three small structures and that’s how we lost around 8-10 months. But in the end everything turned alright, we hope,” Nadia said.
The couple also shared how the Pandemic affected the project but another big hurdle was with the raw materials starting from bricks.
“We need to understand that it’s very difficult to do construction in a place like Nagaland where there is the transportation problem and the market is not regulated. So, we ended up making our own bricks from the stone dust we got from the stone crusher. We did some research and ended up making our own bricks and made sure that our bricks were energy efficient which will be suitable against rain, humidity and heat,” Sungti added.
Community Contribution
According to Sungti, initially the biggest challenge was to find land until the Settsü village willingly approached them to offer the land at a nominal price.
“I am very grateful to the Settsü village for the land. After certain negotiations, we got these twenty acres of land at this strategic location,” he said.
While talking about donations and contributions from organizations, bureaucrats and civil society, the couple shared that they had no expectations as they pursued this project with faith.
“We wanted this to be a project of faith. Besides, we did not start this project to take from others but to give; so we don’t really feel disappointed when people don’t offer us things. But yes, we’d be very happy to get things and help from people. If people are willing to help us, we will welcome them with open hands,” Sungti added.
The couple then shared their plans to inaugurate by the autumn of this year.
“We have finished the building but in a place like Mokokchung, the problem is with the doctors. We will need certain specialist doctors who have heart for the people otherwise they might end up leaving,” Sungti shared.
In conclusion, Sungti talked about how this project is solely a faith project and their will to do something for the people who need it the most.
“The only reason why we are doing this is because of our faith and for us it’s really important as Christians. Personally, what I want to communicate is we are coming here as Christians not as doctors. We want to contribute to society in whatever we can, help in whatever people need. There has to be a need to provide the services. We just want to tell people that is why we are here and we will be very happy if they can pray for us. And yes, we welcome everyone’s help,” he concluded.
“Also, I want to add that we’ll be seeking people. We want those who are genuinely interested in helping people with their talent and not just do it for getting wages,” Nadia said laughing.
“Do work with us because you are genuinely interested in doing it and have a heart for the people here,” she concluded.
