EHA Canada was established in Saskatoon, SK in 1999, as a registered Canadian Charity (BN#89783 7829 RR0001). We focus on India, seeking to help her poor and marginalized peoples.
Why India?
Emmanuel Hospital Association Canada was founded to support and promote the work of EHA abroad. Since 1999, our Board of Directors has worked to fundraise, foster prayer, and raise awareness for both our parent organization and for other Christian organizations whose work in India is aligned with EHA’s mission and values.
Abraham Ninan, our co-founder and Executive Director, served as one of the founding members of EHA in India nearly 50 years ago. When he and his wife, Leela, moved to Canada in the early 70s, they hoped to bridge the compassion and generosity they saw in their new home with the need which they had encountered through their work with EHA in India. EHA Canada was founded in 1999.
Nearly 20 years later, EHA Canada still sees a need for this bridge. The individuals we serve continue to face prejudice, marginalization, and poverty. By pairing the generosity and prayers of our global support base with the skills and knowledge of our partner organisations in India, we bring hope and transformation to the lives of India’s most vulnerable.
One of the reasons we seek to work in India is the sheer need in many parts of the country. The second is that we wished to continue the work of doctors and nurses from Canada and other Western nations who served faithfully and sacrificially in the past. We did not want to see their efforts go to waste. Thirdly our relationship with our partners has been most gratifying. Our skilled, efficient, and compassionate partners in India work with transparent integrity and are transforming individuals and communities.
Our Projects
Most of our projects are with EHA India, but we do also support “Neerekshe” (meaning “Hope”), which is a rural project in South Central India that runs a Christian school and a hostel for poor children.
We have successfully completed many projects over the years. One of the projects that stands out is the establishment of a hospital in a part of the country with very little access to health care. We have many ongoing projects including Community Based Rehabilitation in Raxaul, village outreach in the Malto hills, and Palliative care. Our projects are detailed in the Project section of the website.
Board of Directors
EHA Canada has a Board of Directors which examines and approves all projects. Board members periodically visit India, both to minister and to inspect the projects we support. We receive regular reports from India about our projects.Â
Our activity in Canada is to promote the work of our partners in India. We do this by raising awareness and funds, fostering prayer, encouraging exchange of personnel between our two countries, co-operating in leadership development activities and facilitating short term and longer term missions to India.
We love to share our stories about India and EHA – the needs, the challenges, and the successes – and encourage others to partner with us. If you would like to someone to speak to your church, missions committee, or small group, please contact our office.
Abraham Ninan MD, FRCPC – President
Dr. Ninan is a neonatologist working at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, Saskatoon. He works as an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. He was formerly Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Regina General Hospital in Regina, SK. Dr. Ninan is a Founding Member of EHA India, when it was established in 1970, and served in two of their hospitals before migrating to Canada. He is a Founding member of EHA Canada, and has served on the Board since 1998. He visits India to oversee
EHA Canada projects, to serve as a Consultant in Neonatology and Paediatrics and teach doctors and nurses.
Dr. Dwight Loback MD FRCSC – Vice-President
Dr. Loback is a retired Orthopedic Surgeon, who worked mostly at Saskatoon City Hospital throughout a 30 year career. He was an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the University of Saskatchewan. He is a founding member of EHA Canada, and has served on the board since its inception in 1998. He has been to India five times
between 1997 and 2005, consulting and teaching in various hospitals in North India.
Dennis P. Loewen LLB – Secretary
Dennis is a retired lawyer after practicing law for over 44 years. He is a founding member of EHA Canada and has served on the Board since 1998. In India, he has visited many of the hospitals and community projects, providing support to personnel and reviewing the extensive work of EHA India in their provision of health care to the most marginalized people in rural and remote areas.
Judy McAleer RN – Board Member
Judith is currently retired since 2015. She worked as a Registered Nurse since 1969 primarily in Intensive Cardiac Care following a post graduate Intensive Care Nursing Course at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her work experience was in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Texas, USA. She was formerly the Manager of Nursing of the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit at Saskatoon City Hospital in Saskatoon.
Judith visited India for 6 months in 1973-1974. She lived in India from 2001-2003 working at Woodstock International School. She last visited India in January, 2015 to see EHA Canada projects. Judith has been a Board Member of EHA Canada since December, 2013.
Dr. Rebecca MacKay MD, FRCPC – Board Member
Dr. MacKay is a hematologist-oncologist working at the Saskatoon Cancer Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and teaches at the University of Saskatchewan in the College of Medicine. She travelled to India as a medical student and learned at Duncan Hospital in Raxaul, Bihar, and has been honoured to work with Emmanuel Hospital Association ever since.
Afzal Currimbhoy – Board Member
Afzal retired upon completion of over forty years of comprehensive Financial Management,
administration of domestic and international commercial banking operations with trade
finance supporting exports and imports, treasury and portfolio management, development of
policies, legislation, regulations and guidelines in a Federal Crown Corporation governing
structure, delivery of financial programs to help promote economic development and
stimulate job creation. He has served on the EHA Canada board since 2020.
Augustine Arputhamani – Board Member
A compassionate leader with over 20 years of experience serving people. From medical missions in India to senior leadership roles at Bell Canada, Starbucks Canada and Scott Mission in Toronto, Augustine has demonstrated his commitment to serving others and fostering excellence driven by his passion for people and transformation. As the Chief Operating Officer at MMI in Hamilton, Augustine continues to lead with compassion, providing healthcare for lasting change globally. Augustine currently lives with his wife Caroline and sons Aaron & Elias in Mississauga, has a strong passion for People, enjoys being a footnote and an agent of transformation.
Leela Ninan – Administrator
Rae-Anna Hedlin – Administrative Support
Rae-Anna spent time in India as a child and currently lives in Japan, and provides administrative support for EHA Canada in a part-time capacity, alongside full-time ministry.
*All staff are voluntary, with the exception of the role of Administrative Support.
Emmanuel Hospital Association Canada 