Madhya Pradesh Christian hospitals licenses restored

(September 24, 2010) The government of central India’s Madhya Pradesh state on Thursday restored the licenses of two Christian hospitals, which it withdrew last year under charges of not following state guidelines. “We are happy to get the licenses back,” said Pastor R. D. Lall, head of a Protestant evangelical group running the hospitals in poverty-stricken Damoh district. The government revoked the registrations of over 100- year-old Mission Hospital and 29-year-old Mission Eye Hospital last year following a surprise inspection. The district officials inspected the hospitals in “a hurry and withdrew” the licenses without giving the hospital a chance to explain. Hindu groups under the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accuse Christian missionaries of using social services as means for conversion. Soon after the hospitals’ licenses were cancelled, the Church group approached the High Court at Jabalpur, which suspended the cancellation of licenses and asked the hospital management to explain itself before higher authorities in the state’s health department. The Hospital management received the official announcement restoring the licenses on Sept. 22. Pastor Lall said he suspects that the district officials acted under the influence of Hindu groups against mission work.