The Bangalore Baptist Hospital was opened in 1973 by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, USA. The hospital was established to provide holistic care to people of all religions, castes, and creeds in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Begun as an 80-bed hospital, it has grown to 340 beds today. In 1989, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India, assumed management of the institution in an agreement with the Foreign Mission Board and the Bangalore Baptist Hospital. The city of Bangalore has a population of almost 14 million people and the hospital also serves a rural area with another 3-4 million population.
For over 50 years, the hospital has expanded its services as well as its physical facilities. Today it is a tertiary care institution providing comprehensive medical and dental services. Specialty services include transplantation, dialysis, two cardiac catheterization labs, comprehensive cancer care and hospice care. Beyond the demand in the hospital, care is given in both rural and urban areas in two express clinics and multifaceted community health programs targeting city slums and rural villages.
Care of the poor has always been a priority at BBH. Today 17% of the gross patient revenue is used for concessional care. The Jana Priya Clinics adjacent to the hospital and in remote villages provide quality care for the poor at minimal charge.
Since 1990, recognized and accredited educational programs have been conducted in several disciplines. The first programs were in allied health departments and these certificate programs have now been upgraded to B.Sc. and M.Sc. level courses. Residency or fellowship post-graduate training for doctors is provided in twenty specialties. Residency training for doctors is provided in nine specialties. In 1996 the Institute of Nursing was established and offers two courses: Certificate in General Nursing and Midwifery and, since 2011, a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. A diploma course to train chaplains was begun in 1999.
In 2023-2024, over 440,000 patients were treated in the hospital clinics and another 75,000 patients in community clinics. There were 29,478 admissions, about 3200 deliveries, and over 8,700 surgeries during the twelve-month period. Adult, pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and the coronary care unit allow good care of critically ill persons. The emergency department manages trauma and other acute emergencies 24 hours per day.
In 2011 Bangalore Baptist Hospital was accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, the first Christian institution in India to achieve this and one of only 95 hospitals accredited in the country at the time of recognition. Earlier the hospital’s laboratory was accredited nationally (NABL). Multiple national, state, and city awards have been given recognizing excellence in patient care and in academic teaching. The residency training programs in 2012 received the national award for excellence in teaching given by the National Board of Examinations in New Delhi. Other national awards include the F.I.C.C.I. award in 2012, DL Shah National Quality Award (from Quality Council of India) in both 2013 and 2014, and the Medachievers Award for Medical Education (from Indian Medical Association) in 2014. The hospital is involved at multiple levels in the national healthcare scene in India and is recognized as a leader.
