Sr Helen Mary Anthony becomes first woman to head CHAI, advancing mission healthcare for India’s poor and underserved communities.
Newsroom (05/05/2026 Gaudium Press) Sister Helen Mary Anthony has assumed office as the director general of the Catholic Hospital Association of India (CHAI), marking a historic milestone as the first woman to hold the position since the organisation’s founding in 1943.
Her appointment on 1 May comes decades after Venerable Mary Glowrey established the association, which has since grown from 40 centres into India’s largest non-government healthcare network. Today, CHAI comprises more than 3,500 member institutions, serving over 21 million people annually across the country.
“Our main goal is to serve in the underserved areas,” Sr Anthony said, underscoring the organisation’s longstanding mission. “The Church’s preferential option has always been to extend good medical attention to low-income people.”
Anthony, 63, is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Anne, Bangalore, and previously served as CHAI’s associate director general. She framed her new role not as a personal milestone but as a responsibility during a critical period for India’s healthcare system.
“I see this elevation not as a personal achievement but as a responsibility entrusted to me at a critical moment for healthcare in India,” she said. “I would like to continue the legacy of our founder.”
India’s healthcare landscape presents stark challenges. With a population of 1.4 billion and per capita income of approximately US$2,700, access to quality care remains uneven. More than a billion people live below the poverty line, and the growing commercialization of healthcare often excludes the poor and those in rural regions.
Within this context, the Catholic Church—despite representing just 2.5 per cent of the population—has emerged as the country’s second largest healthcare provider after the government. The CHAI network includes five medical colleges, 35 nursing schools, 200 major hospitals, and 400 hospitals with more than 100 beds, alongside hundreds of smaller health centres.
These institutions deliver a spectrum of services, from primary and preventive care to promotive and curative treatments. Many adopt innovative financial models, including differential pricing, subsidised or free care, charity funds, community insurance schemes, and integration with government programmes. Cross-subsidisation ensures that patients are not denied treatment due to inability to pay.
Mission-driven healthcare remains central to CHAI’s identity. More than 25,000 nuns and 1,000 sister doctors within its network work largely in remote and inaccessible areas, focusing on populations often overlooked by mainstream systems.
“The Church, following in Jesus’ footsteps, has always been associated with the healing ministry,” Anthony said. She also serves as national treasurer of the Sister Doctors Forum of India, which supports women Religious engaged in medical work.
Outgoing director general Fr Mathew Abraham highlighted the significance of her appointment, noting that female leadership is vital in an organisation where women form a substantial part of the workforce.
Anthony brings both clinical and administrative experience to the role. A trained gynaecologist, she has held leadership positions within her congregation, including provincial superior and general councillor, and currently serves as provincial councillor and SM apostolate coordinator.
Looking ahead, she outlined key priorities: strengthening mission-driven healthcare, ensuring institutional sustainability, and enhancing collaboration across CHAI’s vast network. Particular emphasis will be placed on services for women and children, as well as expanding care in mental health, geriatric medicine, and palliative support.
“We are now more concentrating on mental health, which is very, very important for all sectors, from child to the middle age and to the geriatric,” she said.
As she takes the helm, Anthony’s leadership signals both continuity and change—grounded in a long-standing mission while responding to evolving healthcare needs in one of the world’s most complex systems.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Tablet
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