From one ward, to a circle of care
It began with a few people carrying food and care to patients no one else would visit. This is how it grew.
The isolation ward
For years, Mr. K. J. Peter and his friends spent their days in the isolation ward of General Hospital, Ernakulam, helping patients who had no one — bathing them, feeding them, tending to their wounds. Many were bedridden, with deep wounds and infections that needed care every single day.
It began with hygiene care, and later, food — given out of simple compassion. To carry this work forward, Mr. Peter and his friends formed the Rosary of Divine Charitable Trust.
Four meals a day
Mr. Peter and his friends were carrying free meals to the bystanders at the hospital — the family members who stay by a patient's side through long days and nights of care.
Around that time, a thought crossed the mind of the hospital's then Medical Superintendent, Dr. Junaid Rahman: what if every patient could be given their meals? Mr. Peter and his team joined hands with General Hospital, Ernakulam to make it happen. With the support of Shri P. Rajeeve, then Member of Parliament, a kitchen was set up at the hospital in 2011.
Since then, every inpatient has received four meals a day at no cost, each planned to their own diet by the hospital's dietitians. Four days a week, we also serve lunch to their bystanders.
One bed, one patient
The ward was so crowded that, at times, two patients had to share one bed — even through their final hours. Mr. Peter and his team could not forget what they saw.
In 2013, they formed Jeramiah's Home and Bertoni Palliative Care Centre Charitable Trust and opened a home at Athani, Ernakulam, with room for around 40 male patients — each with a bed of their own.
It began as a palliative care home. Over time, the work of the Rosary of Divine Charitable Trust, including the hospital meals, was brought under Jeramiah's Home, so it could grow as one.
Coming home to Vypin
Athani was a long journey for our patients, so we moved closer — to Mr. Peter's home area of Vypin. In collaboration with the Cancure Foundation, who provided two floors of their building free of charge, we continued our care there.
In 2022, with the help of generous hearts, our first building for women rose beside our centre, so that abandoned women who are bedridden could be cared for too.
Care that reaches homes
For a family caring for a bedridden loved one, even small, routine care can mean a trip to the hospital. So we started Sparsham — our nurses visit patients at home, across the Vypin region and nearby areas.
Families were also struggling with the cost of medical equipment, whether the need lasted a few weeks or for life. So Mr. Peter and our trustees started Oppam: we lend oxygen concentrators, wheelchairs, hospital beds and more, for as long as they're needed.
Helping patients stand again
Most of our inpatients are bedridden, and many have a real chance of getting back on their feet. For years, we called physiotherapists in from outside — and as our patients improved and their pain eased, we started our own unit, Anjali Home, in November 2023.
Once it was running, we opened it to the public as well.
Close care, quick answers
Some of our patients need a closer watch — oxygen, suction, and someone beside them through the night. Anjali Lifecare gives them a dedicated hospice area with oxygen-suction, a patient monitoring system and a nurse on duty around the clock, which helps keep hospital stays short.
At the same time, we opened Anjali Diagnostics, our own laboratory, so our patients' tests are done quickly, right here. The Rotary Club of Cochin International sponsored the equipment for both the hospice and the lab, which was inaugurated by Dr. Antony Valumkal, Auxiliary Bishop of Varapuzha. The lab is open to the public too.
Still growing
A new block is rising beside our centre, so we can care for even more people. Everything we have built has come from people who chose to help — with money, with things, or with their time.
