Sister Helen Mary Anthony , 63 year old nun of the sisters of St.Anne , Bangalore, will become the first women director of the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) on May 1 . She succeeds redemptorist Fr. Mathew Abraham, who mentored her during her tenure as deputy director. She is a medical doctor specialising in gynecology and extensive experience in rural health care and hospital management.
Her appointment breaks the 83 year streak of male leadership at CHAI , India’s largest network of catholic medical professionals, comprises 3,572 member institutions, where 90% of members are women religious.
Sister Anthony said, she aims to follow the footsteps of Australian missionary Sister Mary Glowrey, a medical doctor who laid the foundation for the medical ministry in India and founded the association in 1943.
Sister Anthony said the Sister Doctors Forum initially focused mainly on maternal and child health, addressing critical needs in underserved communities. When she began her career, infant mortality rates in rural regions reached 50 percent. It is brought down to less than 3 percent by the help of combined mission of the catholic nuns and government of India.
Sister Anthony said she will continue to implement the association’s goal to reach the unreached, engage in direct community health programs in the poorest areas, and in palliative care.
Sister Anthony represents as a symbol of infant survival and maternal hope.
