Shri Sai Baba during his sojourn in Shirdi took care of many needy patients; Cured the illness of many devotees by giving the sacred Udi and this information is available in the holy Sai Satcharita. To continue the legacy set by Shri Sai Baba, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan started Shri Sainath Hospital in the year 1964.

A small Clinic was started in a building near the Samadhi Mandir in 1964 with an aim to serve the deprived and poor people and follow Baba’s teachings. The same year Shri Sainath Hospital was established.

The Basic infrastructure and facilities have been provided in the hospital and all types of patients are given treatment in the most affordable and reasonable rates. Added to that, as per the High Court verdict, the People Below Poverty Line (BPL families) get further concession in the rate of treatment. Thus, Shri Sainath Hospital has proved to be a blessing for the people in and around Shirdi.

The Hospital caters to  different forms of treatment like Allopathic, Homeopathy and Ayurvedic as well. The accident department functions 24 hours (round the clock). It is a 200 bed hospital. The hospital has two operation theatres at present. Departments like General, Orthopaedics, Maternity, Women’s Health, ENT and Eye Specialists conduct their operations in these 2 Operation Theatres. Five separate operation tables are provided for these two OT’s. The Intensive Care Unit consists of eight beds and serious patients are treated here. In addition, blood donation camps are held, treatment for kidney stone, ear check-up and free hearing aids, eye-checkup and distribution of spectables are carried out. The hospital’s Out Patient Department treats on an average 27000-28000 patients per year.

Shri Sainath Hospital started free treatment to needy patients for certain speicific ailments from 1st January 2017 (ref:Shirdi Gezetteer).

Free Medical Services offered at Shri Sainath Hospital:

  • Dog bite, Snake bite, Thalesaemia, Hemophilia and Sickle Cell Anaemia paients are given free treatment.
  • For Cerebral Palsy children, and also for handicapped people, lifelong free treatment and free medicines are offered.
  • Old people from Old Age Home, Dwarakamai Seva Trust, Kankuri Road, Shirdi are given free treatment.
  • Celibate women residents of Shri Upasani Maharaj Ashram, Sakori are given free medical facilities.

Available Facilities at Shri Sainath Hospital:

  • 24 hour casualty department
  • 8-bed ICU
  • 2 fully equipped Operation Theatres (total 5 including that of Sankul)
  • Ortho/ENT Opthal
  • Heart ailments, asthma, etc... treatment
  • Women’s Health and Maternity Care
  • Orthopaedic Department
  • Laboratory for all types of test like Histopoathology, Biochemistry etc.
  • ECG, Digital X-Ray, USG
  • Diabetes diagnosis and counselling centre
  • DOT treatment, free of cost for the village hospital in Rahata

Shri Sainath Hospital also examines patients and provides care to areas where hospitals are not available. Regular visits to nearby villages, giving medications to ill people, spreading awareness of epidemics, ways to prevent such diseases and also to overcome them are the important tasks performed by the hospital.

The following programmes are regularly conducted in the Hospital:

  • Jaipur Foot Camp
  • Kidney Stone Camp
  • Eye-operation and free distribution of spectacles
  • Hearing-impairments and distribution of hearing aids
  • Diabetes treatment camp

First-Aid Center:

For devotees who visit Shirdi, the trust has opened a first aid centre so that immediate help is given. A mobile clinic is summoned for devotees who come on the occasion of Ram Navami, Guru Poornima, Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi etc to cater to the large number of devotees.

X-Ray Department:

This department is well equipped with machines like Siemens 500 MH and 100 MH X-Ray machine and a digital CR System X-Ray Machine.

Laundry Department:

This department is also well equipped with boiler machine, dryer, calendar machine, washing machine, hydro-machine and ironing. The department provides patients of Shri Sainath Hospital and Shri Saibaba Hospital with clean and ironed clothes.

Administrative Department:

In the financial year from April 2013 to March 2014, 251 employees belonging to permanent, consolidated and fixed pay categories and 149 skilled, unskilled labourers in all 400 employees are working day and night in various departments of the hospital to help the hospital function smoothly. These employees work in three shifts. This also includes high educated doctors, nursing staff, administrative staff etc.

Department of Medical Grants:

The grants are endowed on the basis of Government’s provision given for treating specific diseases in municipal hospitals, public limited company hospitals, charitable hospitals and co-operative society run hospitals.

Shri Sainath Hospital receives grant from the Sai Baba Sansthan Trust for the following medical treatments:

  1. Heart Surgery and Post Operative Treatment
  2. Kidney Dialysis, Transplant and Post Operative Medicines
  3. Brain Surgery and Post Operative Treatment
  4. Cancer related Treatments, Operation and Post Operative Treatment
  5. Blood related diseases like Hemophilia
  6. G.B.S. or Gullain Barre Syndrome
  7. Spine Surgery and Post Operative Treatment
  8. Cochlear Implant

According to the Medical Grant Law, a patient gets up to Rs.25,000/- or 15% of the total treatment cost whichever is less and the donation is given in the form of a cheque addressed to the concerned patient and the hospital in which he is being treated. On an average, medical grant of Rs.30,00,000 to Rs.40,00,000 is endowed per month. The trust is thinking to modify the rules to include more illnesses and to  increase the amount of grant. The proposal with these modifications has been already prepared. Once the permission is granted, the patients will benefit immensely.

Tariff:

As compared to other hospitals, Shri Sainath Hospital provides its services in a very reasonable rate so that even the poor benefit.

Other Facilities:

  • Diagnosis and treatment for HIV is provided on a dialy basis for patients from Shirdi and Rahata. For Tuberculosis, DOT treatment centre functions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
  • For patients as well as their nearest relatives, a shed has been erected so that they are protected from heat and rain. They are given accommodation in Sai Ashram 2 to sleep at night. Moreover, to travel from this ashram to the hospital, bus service is provided free of cost.
  • For the employees, patients and their relatives, separate parking facility is provided. Paver blocks make it easier for them to park two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
  • Construction of paver block has also resulted in a clean area which adds to the beauty of the place.
  • For the patients and their kin, canteen facility is provided. The canteen is open from 6 am in the morning till 10 pm at night. The food items are sold at an affordable rate.
  • Three seaters have been bought for patients so that when they come for check-up they may not have to stand in queue. To avoid this inconvenience, this measure has been taken.
  • Sai Prasadalaya has also set up a separate prasadalaya for the relatives of the patients admitted in the hospital. Due to this, the poor and the needy people are benefitted.

Shri Sainath Hospital and Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) are working diligently to provide maximum facilities to the patients.

Shri Sainath Hospital completed a milestone of 50 years on 14th May 2014 and celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The location link to Shri Sainath Hospital is as follows: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4fCv1NfTNbbQjQ5Q9

Contact Details:

Shri Sainath Hospital
Shirdi-423 109,
Rahata Taluk,
Ahmednagar District
Maharashtra,India.
Phone: 02423-258 795 / 02423-258770

(Source: Shri Sai Leela Magazine, March-April 2015)