BAER Christian Hospital

In 1909, Dr. Mary Baer began medical work in thatched huts in Chirala, A.P., India. In 1912, the cornerstone was laid for what would become known as Baer Memorial Hospital. For six decades, Baer Hospital brought health and healing, hope and a future to many thousands of poor people in and around Chriala.

In the 1970s a convergence of building deterioration, lack of funding due to missionary withdrawals from the region, and the political climate resulted in Baer Memorial Hospital closing its doors. The ensuing years left the complex and its several buildings in desperately ill repair.

In 2003, a group of caring and hopeful residents of Chirala cast a vision to renovate and reopen Baer Hospital. They formed the Chikkalas Trust to gain necessary support to resurrect the health, healing and hope of Baer Hospital, Clinic, and Dispensary. Chikkala’s Trust was originally formed in 1998 to support Priya Home (orphanage) and Sarojini Sewing school. The funds for supporting these two units came from members of Chikkala family, even now the family members continue to meet most of the expenditure of these two. Realizing the good service being done by Chikkala’s Trust, the task of renovating and reopening of Baer Hospital was entrusted to Chikkala's Trust in 2005.

The Chikkalas Trust, partnering with the Chirala Medical and Educational Trust, Inc. (501, c3), located in Lilburn, GA (Atlanta), is causing Baer Christian Hospital to rise from the ruins of its former heritage of healing. The current renovation of first floor of main building and the maternity ward will make it possible to have 30-bed hospital as soon as construction is complete. The longer term goal is to have this facility a fully functional 30-bed in-patient hospital as soon as possible and 50 to 75-bed hospital by the centennial anniversary of the building, 2012.

Your invitation is to visit the various pages of this site, by clicking on the top menu items, to learn about the projects of healing, leaning, hope, and encouragement for the poor that are already underway in Chirala. You will see how, by God’s grace, people are being helped, especially the most vulnerable--women and children. Learn how you can become a part of this transforming service of hope for the poor.