PATNA, India (UCAN) -- The Bihar Voluntary Health Association (BVHA), a Church-initiated healthcare organization, has completed 25 years of service to the poor in the eastern state of Bihar.

"Just as the humaneness of Mother Teresa is recognized by the whole world, the Bihar government appreciates BVHA'S human service," said state housing minister Nalini Ranjan Singh. He spoke Jan. 15 during BVHA's jubilee celebrations at the state capital Patna, 1,010 kilometers east of New Delhi.

Singh said BVHA's secular and multireligious character helps bring sanity to India, where "God's name is abused" by fundamentalists.

BVHA, established in 1969, has 220 voluntary healthcare institutions managed by various religious communities. It conducts training for healthcare personnel, paramedics and community workers and acts as liaison between government officials and villagers.

BVHA also provides primary health care in villages and conducts mass education camps and workshops on health care and helps in health research. It conducts awareness camps during popular gatherings and religious fairs and publishes a bimonthly journal on primary health care.

The jubilee event was attended by some 300 healthcare workers from various parts of Bihar, which is known as India's least developed state.

Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Bahai representatives led an interfaith prayer during the event, which drew special applause from the minister.

Leading the prayer Jesuit Bishop Benedict Osta of Patna said: "Love of God essentially demands us to love our neighbor and this basic Christian spirit guides thousands to serve the poor."

BVHA president Notre Dame Sister Prem Devraj said the association aims "to show the value of good health and make health a reality for India's downtrodden people." She told UCA News BVHA is now involved in helping drug addicts and promoting traditional medicines.

BVHA secretary Doctor S.K. Dwivedi, a Hindu, said the association tries to "serve the needy, irrespective of religion, caste or creed." A unique program is making healthcare literature available in local dialects, he said.

The Bihar government has sought BVHA's help to reach patients in interior villages, said BVHA vice president Reverend M.M. Lincoln of the Church of North India, who works among the Santhal tribals.

Extending official support to BVHA's activities, Singh said "millions of our villagers do not approach business firms or financial institutions for their health problems, but the dedicated voluntary health workers like you."

Former state director of health Mahabir Das told UCA News that organizations like BVHA "are a great help" in Bihar, "an undeveloped state (where) the state administration is unable to tackle basic health problems."

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