VHS

The Voluntary Health Services hospital in Chennai received support from the Indian subsidiary of the AUMUND Group of companies for the first time in 2021, as emergency aid during the Covid pandemic, and donations were later provided for the children’s ward. The hospital was founded back in the late 1950s with the aim of providing first-class specialist health care for less fortunate sections of the population. This is still the objective today, as confirmed by the director of the hospital and his team during our visit in March 2023. The hospital’s mission statement confirms, “Our team at VHS are fully committed to fulfilling the criteria of accessibility, affordability and availability.”

During our second visit in November 2024, we were again accompanied by our Indian consultant, Prasad Rao, who regularly visits the clinic to gain firsthand insight into the work being done there and maintains close contact with the relevant stakeholders. The focus of the visit was a comprehensive tour of the clinic and an exploration of funding opportunities beyond the awarding of scholarships. The clinic director particularly lamented the dilapidated state of the outpatient department, which was in dire need of renovation and no longer adequately met the needs of the patients.

Starting in 2026, the Aumund Foundation will exclusively fund the renovation of the outpatient department, thus providing the clinic with a comfortable waiting area and modern examination rooms for the care of the many emergency patients it treats daily.