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Masina Hospital inaugurated a 15-bed, air conditioned, refurbished Parsi Ward, and an upgraded kitchen and dining hall facilities for all its patients and staff on January 8, 2020, thanks to a generous donation of three-and-a-half crore rupees (USD 492,000) from the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao (ZCFHCM), stated medical director Dr Vispi Jokhi in conversation with Parsiana on January 10, 2020. The Ward has access to the Hospital’s centralized oxygen supply system and lower bed-to-washroom ratio for the convenience of the patients, he noted. The new kitchen will provide "healthy individualized meals” to all patients according to their prescribed diets and also cater to the requirements of staff and visitors, noted a write-up from the Hospital. The dining hall will "provide an ambience and atmosphere of relaxed dining for the staff amidst their heavy, stressful work,” Jokhi stated.

 

 

 

 

 

The function started with a jashan performed by Ervad Darius Bajan, followed by a humbandagi and unveiling of the plaque recognizing the Charity Fund’s support by ZCFHCM president and Global Working Group  non executive chairman Neville Shroff. The dining hall was inaugurated with a symbolic cutting of a ribbon by Hospital trustee Burjor Antia and ZCFHCM trustee Dilnavaz Davar. Masina’s write-up stated that the donors were "impressed with the involvement of the dieticians and the staff” when they toured the dining room and the kitchen. The refurbished Ward was formally inaugurated by Shroff with Masina’s managing trustee Homi Katgara and Antia.
Other "stalwart donors” present at the function included World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust Funds chairman Dinshaw Tamboly, and Aspi Darukhanawala and Rustom Mehta who had made generous donations on behalf of their families for the Hospital’s Nursing Home, noted Jokhi. Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Armaity Tirandaz who assists with fund mobilization, was present. Donors Scylla Vatcha and Armaity Irani were unable to attend, stated the write-up.
In his vote of thanks, Katgara acknowledged Jokhi’s efforts in completing the refurbishment in a time bound manner and urged the community to support and patronize the Hospital. Chief executive officer and Hospital trustee Jimmy Parakh presented floral bouquets to the guests. A sumptuous vegetarian meal provided by the new kitchen brought the morning to an end.
The 270-bed Hospital, functioning from five buildings in an eight-acre campus, was set up in 1902 by Dr Hormusji Masina (see "Makeover at Masina,” Parsiana, August 7, 2017). Parsi patients are treated either totally free or at concessional rates depending on the financial status of their family, notes their website. Services include general medicine and surgery, pediatric care and surgery, urology, orthopedics, neurology, plastic surgery, dermatology and diabetology among others. Their Eric Kharas Memorial Burns Centre, one of the largest in Bombay, was enhanced with the addition of skin bank in October 2017 thanks to donations from the estate of the late Bhikhoo Kharas (see "Banking on skin,” Parsiana, November 21, 2017). With a donation of four crore rupees last year from the Rotary Club of Bombay, the Hospital built a new accident and emergency room and cosmetic procedures department, upgraded their gastro-intestinal endoscopy department and orthopedic operation theater, the burns department and the neonatal intensive care unit (see "More facilities at Masina,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, August 7-20, 2019).