Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM), is an outcome of a dream cherished by the late Dr. HM Patel, the former Union Finance and Home Minister of Indi. He embarked on building an institution that he envisioned would fill the need long-felt, that for a faculty of Medicine, not many thought would succeed.

But determined he was to succeed and went about his task with the same missionary zeal and enthusiasm that characterized much of his work in building Vallabh Vidyanagar. The result: an institution that has now grown to become a University managing a National Medical Council recognized medical college, a 1000-bed NABH accredited tertiary level multi-specialty hospital, a school of nursing, a college of physiotherapy, institutes of medical technology & allied health sciences and technology, a cancer centre with bone marrow transplant unit, and a cardiac centre, a 102-bed state-of-the-art critical care centre, a dedicated diagnostics centre, and a centre for public health studies in its 100 acres, well developed, lush green campus. Under the able guidance of the former Chairman, Dr. Amrita Patel, CAM realized Dr. H M Patel’s vision of offering comprehensive and personalized healthcare, delivered with commitment, and compassion, and at the most affordable cost to all those in need of it. It has become hospital policy not to deny treatment to even a single patient because of the scarcity of funds. CAM is a registered society and a public trust established in the year 1972 that manages these institutions.

Today, in an era where crass commercialization has victimized the medical profession which should be led by nothing but sensitivity towards humanity, nobility, moral responsibility, and duty, CAM stands firm in its vision: to be a shining example of what the profession of medicine is supposed to be- noble, deeply rooted in providing solace to the suffering and continuously upgrading itself to serve the humanity. The journey over the last five decades in creating and sustaining these institutions of excellence has been challenging.

Nonetheless, our pursuits remain relentless and unchanged. Our Hospital offers substantial waivers to needy patients, and completely free treatment for those who cannot afford to even pay for the partial treatment cost. No patient is ever denied treatment for the want of money. We are paneled with a majority of the government schemes to support a larger number of patients, where the payment support received barely covers a third of the cost incurred for the treatment. Our Trauma centre regularly gets patients in critical condition, and most of them are unable to afford the treatment cost. But adhering to our policy, we do not deny treatment to any, and in the process end up getting burdened with huge deficits. Every year the Hospital bears a deficit of over 35 crore for supporting the treatment of the needy, and this number steadily increases every year.

The educational institutions do their share too, admitting students from economically disadvantaged families on scholarships, even for the MBBS course.

It is CAM’s constant endeavor to innovate and deliver better healthcare to all.