Garhwal Community Development and Welfare Society (GCDWS) is a national NGO that seeks to improve the health status of rural and indigenous populations through research, training and service delivery programmes.
GCDWS was founded in 1993 by Dr. Rajesh Singh, a trained physician and general surgeon from the Christian Medical College Ludhiana. Dr. Singh worked as a surgeon in different Mission Hospitals in India, but he was not satisfied with the kind of work he was doing. He had a vision set in his mind from childhood to render medical services to poor and needy people in the remote Garhwal Himalayas. His wife, Rajkumari, a nursing professional, shared his vision. Together, they set up the Christian Hospital in 1991 in Chamba, in rural Tehri Garhwal. The ‘Masihi Aspatal’ as the locals called it, is now a 25-bedded rural hospital and a critical care centre for emergencies and surgical care for the surrounding remote and hilly region.
GCDWS grew as a natural corollary to the Christian Hospital and its underlying vision of improving community health. The State Government of Uttarakhand has recognized GCDWS as a ‘mother NGO’, or a nodal organization to mentor several other field NGOs in the state. Since its inception, GCDWS has gathered extensive experience of health outreach work with local communities and village based healthcare providers.
GCDWS was founded in 1993 by Dr. Rajesh Singh, a trained physician and general surgeon from the Christian Medical College Ludhiana. Dr. Singh worked as a surgeon in different Mission Hospitals in India, but he was not satisfied with the kind of work he was doing. He had a vision set in his mind from childhood to render medical services to poor and needy people in the remote Garhwal Himalayas. His wife, Rajkumari, a nursing professional, shared his vision. Together, they set up the Christian Hospital in 1991 in Chamba, in rural Tehri Garhwal. The ‘Masihi Aspatal’ as the locals called it, is now a 25-bedded rural hospital and a critical care centre for emergencies and surgical care for the surrounding remote and hilly region.
GCDWS grew as a natural corollary to the Christian Hospital and its underlying vision of improving community health. The State Government of Uttarakhand has recognized GCDWS as a ‘mother NGO’, or a nodal organization to mentor several other field NGOs in the state. Since its inception, GCDWS has gathered extensive experience of health outreach work with local communities and village based healthcare providers.