Dr Watson last visited The Duncan Hospital during the November 2024 trustees’ trip for the inauguration of the new nursing school and his enthusiasm for the work being done there remains as strong as ever. The Duncan Hospital has that effect on people!

It’s always encouraging to see such genuine interest in the ongoing work of the DHCT, and we’re delighted to keep sharing the journey. Here’s to more conversations that connect our local community with the remarkable efforts taking place in Bihar.

If you would like to donate to the Asha Street Kids School project click here now to go to our Just Giving Page

The post Bridging Worlds: The Duncan’s Story Shared in Dunblane appeared first on tdhct.

Those in this group live with disabilities themselves or care for loved ones who do. Today’s visit is about more than medical care. The team is sharing advice, encouragement, physical equipment, and information on where families can find support – health and rehabilitation help from the Duncan Hospital itself, plus local government schemes, that they might not otherwise hear of.

For families raising children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, these visits bring connection, understanding, and hope. They remind each person that they are not alone – that help and community can grow even in the more remote of Bihar’s communities.

Through its Community Teams, The Duncan Hospital continues to walk alongside families like these – building awareness, offering care, and helping them access the support they deserve.

Your support helps make these visits possible – bringing health, hope, and dignity to communities like these.

Please consider making a donation through the Duncan Hospital Charitable Trust – we guarantee that 100% of your donations go to The Duncan Hospital.

Donate here now

The post Stronger Together: How Duncan Community Outreach Teams Brings Connection and Care to Remote Villages appeared first on tdhct.

It’s wonderful now to see the new nursing school alive with activity, filled with students making full use of this modern, purpose-built facility. The difference it has made to the trainee nurses’ experience is truly inspiring, providing bright, well-equipped classrooms, practical training spaces, and a learning environment that matches the dedication of staff and students alike.

From the rooftop of the nursing school, the structure of the forthcoming Nursing Accommodation Block is already visible – the exciting next phase in improving facilities for nursing students and staff. This new accommodation will make an enormous difference to daily life, helping to attract and retain talented young people who come from near and far to train here at The Duncan.

Joining Prof Mackay on this visit are Dr Brian Davidson (rheumatologist), Dr John Schulga (retired paediatrician), and Dr Ali Schulga (retired community paediatrician). Together, they are spending time observing the hospital in action, meeting staff, and gaining a deeper understanding of the community that The Duncan serves.

It is always encouraging to see how our supporters’ generosity continues to help transform The Duncan Hospital – teamwork that links the hospital and its many supporters around the world.

Donate to our current fundraiser here

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The older sponsored nursing students have finished their internal assessments and are now hard at work preparing for their final board exams this October – (we wish them all luck)

Meanwhile, some of the first-year students enjoyed a well-deserved break with their parents and friends before returning to their studies.

Nursing classes have now moved into the new Clanton Nursing Block. Followers may remember our Trustees’ visit in November 2025 to open this amazing building – so it’s fantastic to see the students now learning and thriving there. Excitingly, longer-term plans have been launched to upgrade the School to a College and introduce a B.Sc. Nursing program.

The photos also capture a Nutrition Practical Demo – another step in the nurse’s training journey.

The students send their warm greetings, and we pass them straight on to you – all of our wonderful supporters, because it is your generosity that makes all this possible.

To donate to our latest fundraiser – https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/asha-street-kids-project

The post From Exams to the New Clanton Block: News from Our Sponsored Nurses appeared first on tdhct.

Dr Finny was in the UK to attend a medical conference, but took time out of his schedule to travel north and visit DHCT trustees Dr Graham and Karen Watson and Jackie Mackay. During his visit, Dr Watson gave him a whistle-stop tour of Stirlingshire, including visits to local hospitals, Dunblane Cathedral as well as to The Giving Tree – the local Dunblane charity shop that has done an incredible job of raising funds for us over the past year.

Dr Finny received a warm welcome here and shared uplifting updates on the latest developments and projects at The Duncan as well as thanking them and explaining just how much their donations are helping to make a difference to staff and patients at the hospital.

We’re hugely grateful to Dr Finny for his ongoing support for The Duncan and for taking the time to visit us at DHCT.

And as always, thank you to everyone who continues to support this vital work.

Our latest fundraiser is to help support the Asha Street Kids School at The Duncan – donations are welcome here.

The post Dr Philip Finny Visits Scotland: Strengthening Ties with The Duncan Hospital Charitable Trust appeared first on tdhct.

The Giving Tree is a charity shop that is part of Dunblane Development Trust – it supports local and international charities, as well as promoting sustainability. They will be helping to raise funds in particular for our DHCT Nurses in Training Sponsorship Programme.

DHCT trustees Professor Gordon and Jackie Mackay, Dr Graham and Karen Watson were delighted to attend the official opening and give a taste of work The Duncan Hospital in Bihar India carries out. Local Antiques Roadshow expert Gordon Foster kindly cut the opening ribbon.

To donate to the DHCT Sponsored Nurses Programme click the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/…/duncanhospitalsponsorednurses

The post Trustees celebrate opening of ‘The Giving Tree’ in Dunblane – pledging support for Duncan Hospital Charitable Trust appeared first on tdhct.

As well as catching up with old friends there among staff he is meeting new members, seeing how work is progressing on the various building projects, and of course, he is lending a helping hand in surgery wherever he can.

To properly document his trip this time, Martyn Robertson of Urbancroft Films has gone with Prof Mackay to capture some of these projects and people this charity helps to fund and also take footage of the incredible staff that make The Duncan Hospital the extraordinary health oasis it is.

*Please note that neither trustee visits nor accompanying guests like Martyn are EVER paid for out of charity funds. 100% of all donations to DHCT always go directly to the Duncan.

If you would like to donate to our latest fundraiser – helping to train young nurses of the future you can do so here

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So much has gone on this year, so we have just picked out some highlights. Staff celebrated World Cerebral Palsy Day this year by inviting local children with the condition to come along with their families and learn more about nutrition and the importance of medicine and exercise. The hospital has also started actively working with transgender people who face grave issues such as lack of jobs plus public exclusion. 

The Duncan’s Community Health Team has been working with the Mahler Foundation to offer sheltered accommodation in Raxual, plus support to patients who are destitute, many struggling with mental illness but who have nowhere to go after discharge from hospital care.

These are just a few of the initiatives carried out this year. In 2023 the DHCT launch our new nurse sponsorship fundraiser to help local girls get a life-changing nursing education at The Duncan. Look out for details in the New Year! 

Donations welcome here

The post Building Hope and Advancing Health care in 2022 appeared first on tdhct.

Later in the year as the pandemic situation eased, there was cause for celebration and moments of joy.

There is still a lot more work to be done in 2021 as The DHCT works towards our goal of funding a desperately needed Nursing School and Accommodation block, of which we will bring you more news next week.

To read the latest newsletter click on the download link below

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“In 1992 a young couple, both doctors, travelled from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to a remote corner of Assam to check out the Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital. They had been told that the hospital needed to be revived, having become defunct 10 years earlier after the missionaries running it were asked to leave India.

Vijay Anand Ismavel had a master’s in surgery and Ann, his wife, was an MBBS physician. With qualifications like theirs, getting jobs or setting up a practice was easy. There was really no great need to leave Madurai. Both of them, however, had other expectations from their profession. They wanted to take their medical skills to the people who needed them the most — the farther away and the larger the number the better.”

Read full article online

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