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"You know how it is with us Parsis…So many old people….young generation staying at a distance…they need care…after a fall…after a stroke…they need this facility to get back to some semblance of normality,” said chief cultural officer and erstwhile chief executive officer (CEO) of Masina Hospital, orthopedist Dr Vispi Jokhi showing Parsiana around the Hospital’s Neuro Rehabilitation Center (NRC) eight days after it was inaugurated on September 12, 2024.  It is a "much needed initiative to address the rising incidence of neurological problems in the community,” said Jokhi.

It has been set up under the guidance of businessman and Hospital managing trustee Homi Katgara and Dr Rati Godrej who serve as advisors to the Global Council of Zoroastrians Trust (GCZT).  As stated GCZT president, Hong Kong based Neville Shroff in an email to Parsiana, "GCZT is committed to enhancing the health and wellness of the Zoroastrian community members… A significant initiative in this area is the establishment of a new NRC.” Stating that the facility is designed to provide quality medical care and health services at affordable rates for our community members, he added, "By availing of this service, Zoroastrian individuals can benefit from improved health outcomes provided by (the Hospital).” 

A public trust formed in December 2020 and registered in the office of the Charity Commissioner, Bombay, in November 2022, GCZT is dedicated to the well-being and prosperity of community members worldwide (see "Triumph for the Trust,” Parsiana, January 21-February 6, 2024).”

At the inauguration, Hospital trustee, founder trustee of GCZT and senior lawyer Burjor Antia, as the chief guest, spoke of the long tradition of services offered by Masina Hospital. "The healthcare initiative (of GCZT) includes the possibility of providing medical insurance to the whole community…Zoroastrians/Iranis from all over the world should avail of this facility,” Antia stated. Jokhi sent Parsiana a detailed note on the event. 

Hospital trustee Dr Gustad Daver stated that considering the aging population, many are likely to suffer from progressive neurological disorders which can occur after vascular strokes, head injury and even be part of a spectrum of degenerative neurological disorders. "Besides, dementia and Alzheimer’s can also affect this aging population… The Center (can offer) rehabilitation services which will enable the patients to significantly improve their functional capability and quality of life… One of the features of this Center is to train caregivers to continue the same level of care at home.” 

Katgara thanked Mani Bhathena "for her generous donation in memory of her sister late Ruby Bhathena which has helped to upgrade the physiotherapy department, especially to help these patients.” Reportedly, Mani gifted a portion of her inheritance, equity shares from her mother Nergazbanoo Bhathena, in memory of her baby sister Ruby. 

Pleased with the focus on training for caregivers, Godrej stated that neuro and neuro psychiatry disorders place a huge cost and burden to the family and caregivers in the community. 

In his welcome address, Hosptial CEO Khushrow Major called the Center a "crucial step” in addressing the city’s healthcare needs. "This initiative aligns with Masina Hospital Trust’s long-standing commitment to serve the community and maintain its legacy as a premier charitable healthcare institution in Bombay.” 

Noted neurologist Dr Pettarusp  Wadia, part of the think tank for this project, stated that having seen the facility and the process behind this project, he felt that the community can significantly benefit from the services given at this Center. "Providing intense professional expert care for a period of a few months in such a setting will be far better than trying to replicate the same in the home environment.” Others present included GCZT advisor and a former Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Noshir Dadrawala; social worker and former BPP trustee Arnavaz Mistry, Hospital staff and doctors. 

Jokhi’s vote of thanks included the medicos who provided their inputs for this project — Drs Jimmy Lalkaka, Wadia, Azad Irani, Ashish Gosar, Pervin Dadachanji, Milan Balkrishnan, Priyanka Mahajan, Rohan Bokdawala, Natasha Kate as well as the Hospital’s occupational therapy and physiotherapy heads Drs Zarine Ferzandi and Priyanka Shastri and their colleagues for their contribution.

  shoulder Continuous Passive Motion machine 

At the NRC, the lobby flanked by treatment rooms leads visitors to a large reception area surrounded by smaller treatment cubicles. Aqua therapy is available in a separate room. "Patients can either walk in the water or cycle in it,” according to their needs, Jokhi explained. Specialized treadmills, balance bars, steppers, traction beds and spinal decompression beds and other available equipment can also be used to treat sports injuries. 

The Center will be open to all communities and the 25-bed Parsi ward will continue "to serve the needs of an aging community,” Jokhi reiterated. Speaking of a continuum of care, from hospital-based treatment to home-based support "which will ensure holistic recovery and management,” he explained that the Center will offer short term respite care and limited term options. Tariff for stays between three weeks and three months in various categories of rooms are being worked out, he stated. Weekly options will be available for respite care for mild disorders. 

Established in 1902, the 270-bed, cosmopolitan, charitable Masina Hospital has over the past several years upgraded its facilities and services on its eight-acre property located at Byculla. A 14-bed renal dialysis center was opened in 2022 (see "Masina’s ‘high end services,’” Parsiana, March 21-April 6, 2022) and their building of the Kharas Medical Center has been ramped up (see "Masina’s momentum,” Parsiana, December 21, 2022-January 6, 2023).