The All India Congress on Church in Mission (AICOCIM) devoted the morning session of its third day to the theme of health, with Dr. Deepak Singh delivering a keynote address that challenged the Indian Church to reclaim its distinctive contribution in healthcare.
Singh, a pediatric surgeon who has served with the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) for many years and assumed the role of executive director in April, said the Church must see healthcare not as an optional activity but as a core expression of its calling.
Grounding his message in Jesus’ proclamation of good news to the poor in Luke 4, Singh argued that serving the sick and vulnerable has always been central to who Christians are. “Jesus began his ministry with a manifesto of healing and release,” he said. “If we take that seriously, we cannot walk away from the health needs of our country.”
A legacy under strain
Singh traced the history of Christian healthcare in India, beginning with early missionary dispensaries and the later establishment of hospitals across the country. Many of these initiatives, he noted, were started by single women who left behind comfort and familiarity to serve in remote communities. Their work laid the foundations for some of India’s most respected medical institutions, including Christian Medical College in Vellore and Ludhiana.
At independence, Protestant Christian missions ran more than a thousand hospitals. Today, only a fraction remain, and many of those face financial and staffing challenges. Yet Singh emphasized that the remaining network, which includes both Protestant and Catholic institutions, continues to make a significant contribution to India’s healthcare landscape.
“These hospitals brought modern medicine to India,” Singh said. “They trained doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. They practiced holistic, affordable, and ethical care that demonstrated Christ’s love. That legacy is worth reaffirming.”
Gaps as opportunities
Singh painted a broad picture of the gaps that persist in India’s healthcare system. While progress has been made, access to quality care remains uneven, especially in rural areas where most of the population lives but far fewer medical services are available. Urban centers offer the bulk of hospital beds, trained professionals, and specialized services, leaving villages and small towns underserved.
He pointed out that many communities still struggle with preventable diseases, maternal and child health concerns, and the rising burden of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Nutrition and hunger remain unresolved challenges, and millions live with untreated or undiagnosed conditions. Palliative care and disability services are scarcely available in most regions.
“These gaps are not just problems,” Singh said. “They are opportunities. They are the very spaces where the Church can step in with compassion and integrity.”
Singh proposed that the Church reaffirm its healthcare mission by strengthening its presence where need is greatest. He urged Christian organizations to resist concentrating only on cities and to prioritize underserved regions. “Eighty percent of healthcare is in cities,” he said. “The need lies in rural India.”
Increasing presence, he argued, does not always mean building large hospitals. Churches can start with small initiatives rooted in local needs, from clinics and mobile units to community health programs and rehabilitation services. “Our presence itself is a message,” Singh noted. “We choose to be with the people who have no one else.”
Expanding engagement
Beyond presence, Singh called for expanded engagement in areas often neglected by mainstream health systems. He highlighted palliative care, disability rehabilitation, geriatric services, and mental health as fields where Christian organizations could play a leading role.
“These are areas nobody else wants to step into,” Singh said. “But Christians can — and must — because this is the heart of the gospel.”
He also stressed the importance of livelihood as a dimension of health, describing initiatives that paired disability rehabilitation with income generation, such as providing small shops or livestock. Such projects, he said, restore dignity as well as stability.
Sustainability and care for caregivers
Singh acknowledged the strain placed on mission hospitals and their staff, many of whom serve in difficult conditions. He emphasized the importance of sustainability through local support, partnerships, and accountability.
“We must care for the carers,” he said. “Who is taking care of the people who are taking care? The Church must step up to support those on the frontlines.”
He urged congregations to see their local hospitals and clinics not just as service providers but as mission partners, deserving of prayer, encouragement, and tangible support.
For Singh, the credibility of Christian healthcare ultimately depends on the integrity of its communities. He described arriving at a hospital where staff were divided and demoralized. A decade later, after persistent efforts at reconciliation, they had become a united fellowship that prayed, ate, and served together.
“A family that prays together, stays together,” he said. “If we are to transform those we serve, we must first be transformed ourselves.”
That transformation, he argued, creates influence. When communities embody joy, integrity, and fellowship, they become a light to districts, states, and even nations. “Our witness is not only in what we do but in who we are,” Singh said.
Raising the next generation of healthcare workers
Singh also highlighted the need for leadership development, particularly among younger generations. He recalled the pioneering role of women in establishing India’s mission hospitals and called for renewed commitment from men and women alike to enter medical vocations as a calling, not just a career.
He challenged churches to move beyond committees and programs to intentionally raise up leaders who will guide the next generation of healthcare workers with vision and conviction.
Singh closed his keynote with a call to focus on the underserved, support those on the frontlines, and commit resources to healthcare as part of expressing God’s love for the nation. He insisted that the Church in India has sufficient capacity to meet the challenge if it embraces the call wholeheartedly.
“I believe the Church in India has enough resources to cover the healthcare needs of this country,” he said. “The question is, will we commit?”
For Singh, the task ahead is not only medical but spiritual: to embody Christ’s compassion in practical ways, to bring holistic healing to the vulnerable, and to reaffirm healthcare as an inseparable part of the calling of the Church.
