Catholic priest wins Pride of Gujarat Award

By Matters India Reporter

Ahmedabad: A Catholic priest on April 7 received the “Pride of Gujarat Award 2021” from the state’s deputy chief minister Nitin Patel.

Father Jomon Thommana is currently the director of Christ Campus in Rajkot, a major city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. He was the founder director of Christ Educational Foundation and director of Rajkot’s Christ Hospital.

The award was given at a special function in Ahmedabad, the state’s commercial capital.

Christ Hospital was the first Covid-19 healthcare institution in Gujarat. It has developed the best medical care facility in Rajkot with the pandemic.

The award recognizes individuals, institutions and companies for their exemplary achievements and contributions towards economic and industrial growth, society, state and nation building.

The award was given to him for his contribution to the health sector of Gujarat through Christ Hospital, a multi super specialty institution owned by the diocese of Rajkot. The diocese started the hospital in 2012 to serve the people in the region “with healing ministry of Jesus our Master,” Father Thommana told Matters India.

According to him, the award recognizes his leadership to set up a transparent and ethical healthcare system in Gujarat.

The government also applauded the hospital’s commitment and mission to volunteer to become the first private Covid 19 designated healthcare institution in Gujarat. It was the first private hospital in Gujarat to start as a government-approved designated Covid-19 hospital when only government set ups were available to treat those hit by coronavirus.

“When panic and confusion prevailed in other hospitals in March 2020, the Catholic institution took up the challenge to give Covid-19 patients hope while being treated,” Father Thommana said.

The 43-year-old priest said they provided “complete free treatment” to Covid-19 patients with the government support for two months, becoming a blessing for thousands in Gujarat.

He says the award is an honor given to all the Catholic missionaries in Gujarat, now ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

He dedicated the award to the doctors and staff of Christ Hospital, Bishop Jose Chittooparambil of Rajkot and “all my mentors across the world who have contributed to my life.”

Father Thommana has studied Master of Business Administration at Staffordshire University.

He was born as one of the three sons of T L Kocheppu and Mary in Perambra, a village in Kerala’s Thrissur district. He was ordained a priest for Rajkot diocese on January 1, 2005.

He began his seminary life at Jeevan Darsan Minor seminary in Rajkot. He studied philosophy at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jalandhar, Punjab, and Theology from Gujarat Vidya Deep Regional Seminary in Vadodara.