Doctors to open baby loss hub in remote village

A doctor who was stranded in a remote tribal village in India four years ago is returning there to open a bereavement centre.

Christy Vijay, a gynaecologist at James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough, was travelling in southern India in 2022 when his bus broke down in the middle of nowhere.

His friends travelled to meet him and brought him to Sittilingi, a tiny, remote tribal village, and during his stay he was diagnosed with dengue, a viral infection.

Vijay was treated at the Tribal Health Initiative and when he recovered he realised how overstretched the facility was and he began working there, as well as in Middlesbrough.

Every three months he takes time off from James Cook to travel to the remote villages and help communities there.

He brings donated clothing and medical essentials on his trips, with special permission from British Airways to transport them.

Vijay said during every visit he was heartbroken to see families facing miscarriage and infant loss.

"In the forest, if a mother faces a complication and there is no specialist, she often has no choice but to go home and face the worst outcome," he said.

His story encouraged James Cook maternity team members to help him set up a centre in Sittilingi, which is set to open in May.

Vijay said: "We believe that every parent deserves the right to acknowledge their baby's existence in a safe, dignified space.

"Bringing that standard of care to a community that has felt invisible to the rest of the world is a dream come true for all of us."

Consultant obstetrician Dr Helen Simpson and the hospital's bereavement team have worked towards establishing a formal training curriculum for locals.

Three tribal students have been chosen as the first cohort to undergo training and they are expected to graduate weeks before the opening of the bereavement centre.

Simpson, who is travelling to Sittilingi with Vijay in April, said: "Hearing from Christy over the years about the lack of bereavement care the women in the village receive, including not being able to acknowledge the loss of a child, see, or name that child – was heartbreaking.

"Seeing his drive encouraged me to go out to India with him to and help set up the bereavement centre."

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