Prem Jyoti Community Hospital is a 15-bedded hospital, serving the Malto tribals & people of Sahibganj District of Jharkhand, since December 1996. The health needs of the people in 140 target villages are met by the hospital, through a network of Community Health Volunteers, peripheral clinics, and a Health centre. The Health Centre was opened to the general public on January 2003.

The Maltos - The Malto tribals form about 10% of the population in Sahibganj District of Jharkhand. 36% of the population are Santal tribals and the rest non-tribals. The Maltos are characterized by a diminishing population, pre-agricultural level of technology and extremely low level of literacy. They live in small hamlets (10-50 houses) scattered in the districts of Sahibganj, Pakur, Godda and Dumka of Jharkhand State. Most of the villages are remote and inaccessible.

The death rate among the Maltos exceeds the birth rate. The infant mortality rate (IMR) of 147 and Maternal Mortality rate of 460 are pointers to the situation. The high death rate is mainly due to infectious diseases such as malaria, Kala-azar, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and tuberculosis. The poor economy, lack of knowledge of health issues, poor health seeking behavior, lack of availability of quality and low-cost health care services contribute to the high mortality, casting a shadow on the existence of the group.

A study done by India Today, a leading magazine in India, ranked Sahibganj district as the most socio-economically least-developed district in the whole country. Since the bifurcation of Bihar state, the district has seen some visible progress, though at a very slow pace. The entire district with a total population of over a million does not have a single, functioning referral hospital to manage complicated cases.

The Kala Azar (KA) eradication program was implemented last year. Kalaazar is endemic in the area. The program was funded by the state in conjunction with Catholic Relief Services and Social Development Centre Dumka. Prem Jyoti was one of the 14 treatment centres in four districts. KA patients were provided free medicine, food, and hospital care for 30 days. The hospital's network of CHVs proved quite useful to identify possible Kala Azar patients in the villages. In six months, 77 KA patients were treated in the hospital.

In an effort to promote antenatal care, Malto women were offered delivery of their baby for a flat rate of Rs 100/-, regardless of whether the birth was simple or complicated, normal or caesarean, provided they had received at least three ante-natal checkups prior to the delivery. As a result of this program, the number of women coming for ANC checkups in the villages, and coming to the hospital to deliver their babies has increased. Now they are able to afford having delivery by trained professional. Their participation in regular ANC checkups has allowed for the identification and treatment of potential complicating factors, which has resulted in healthier mothers and babies. Birth outcomes are better and perinatal mortality among Malto babies is now less than the mortality of non-Malto babies at the hospital.