Mangalore Diocese News

Mangaluru, April 11 : The post-centenary silver jubilee of St Joseph Leprosy Hospital, run by Father Muller Charitable Institutions, was celebrated with a befitting ceremony at Academy hall in the campus here on Saturday April 11, 2015.

The golden jubilee celebrations of Father Muller Rehabilitation Unit was also held on the same occasion.

Minister for health and family welfare U T Khadar was supposed to inaugurate the event, but as he was late due to other engagements, bishop of Mangalore diocese Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza inaugurated by lighting the lamp.

Addressing the gathering, joint director and state leprosy officer Vimala Patil, who was chief guest, said, "I thank Father Muller Institution for inviting me for such an event. When I took charge as state leprosy officer, I visited so many hospitals and attended so many conferences and that is how I got motivation to do this good work. Relatives of so many leprosy patients do not want them in their homes and put them out, but this hospital has treated them and made them better persons so that they can live with dignity in society. This good work of treating leprosy patients was done by Mother Teresa and Gandhiji.

"This morning I visited this hospital and I was touched by the selfless service provided by it. I am going to Delhi for a conference and I will recommend this hospital for the President Award," she added, congratulating the hospital on completing 125 years.

U T Khadar in his address said, "I am really happy that Father Muller Institution is rendering good service to people. This leprosy hospital was started 125 years ago to serve the people who were boycotted from society. This hospital has rehabilitated them and made them better persons. This is the best leprosy hospital not only in Mangaluru but the whole nation. Karnataka government has given it the best hospital award and I wish the union government also would do so.

After I took charge as health minister 110 people who had recuperated were given government jobs. I will take special initiative to try and give more jobs to leprosy patients. Some private organizations have rendered selfless service and gone one step ahead to solve the problems of these patients," he added.

"Only in Karnataka are both BPL and APL card holders given free medical aid for major diseases by the government. On April 15 the chief minister will inaugurated the bike ambulance service. I congratulate and thank Father Muller Institutions for their service and dedication towards treating leprosy patients," he said.

Addressing the St Joseph Leprosy Hospital administration and staff, he said, Bishop Dr Aloysius said, "I congratulate all of you - the staff, doctors and nurses - on giving selfless service. I pray to lord to continue his blessings on each one of you who is doing this great job of treating leprosy patients. This occasion is to appreciate all the people who have served in the leprosy hospital and we have done so by honouring them today. Not everyone will be ready to serve these patients or work in a leprosy hospital. Only people chosen by god will serve them. I congratulate the Sisters of Charity who were serving leprosy patients even when the hospital started 125 years ago. The service they render is equivalent to the service by Mother Teresa."

Praising health minister for his work, the bishop said, "Though the minister was late for the programme today, he makes it a point to attend every programme. That's his good nature. He attends scores of programmes a day.

"I once again congratulate all the staff of the leprosy hospital. They are not working here but rendering selfless service," he added.

Former and senior staff of the leprosy hospital were facilitated on the occasion. A book by two doctors was also releasd.

The bishop, who is also the president of Father Muller Charitable Institutions, was felicitated by U T Khadar and Vimala Patil on behalf of the government.

Provincial superior of Sisters of Charity, Mangaluru province Dr Sr Matilda Monteiro also spoke on the occasion.

Fr Patrick Rodrigues welcomed the gathering.

Administrator Fr Richard Coelho and others were present.

Brief History of St Joseph Leprosy Hospital :

Father Muller Charitable Institutions was started by Fr Augustus Muller in 1880 as a small dispensary which slowly developed into a hospital. That was the time when leprosy was considered as a dreaded disease for want of scientific treatment, fear of deformities and social stigma. Fr Augustus Muller started a home for such unfortunate patients in the year 1890. This was an asylum for leprosy patients in Jeppu and was named as “St Joseph Asylum”. Here the patients were helped to live as best as they could and pass on to a better world when God called them. The asylum was shifted to Kankanady, to a new building with eleven rooms, six for men and five for women. This was in 1892 and the hospital was named “St Joseph Leprosy Hospital”.

The hospital gradually expanded to meet the demand and in the year 1909 could accommodate fifty in-patients. Fr Muller himself was taking care of these patients and later on Sisters of Charity came from Italy continued the good work, the prominent among them being Sr Matilda, Sr Candida, Sr Leonilde and Sr Josephine. Fr Muller left for his heavenly abode on 1st Nov 1910 and was interred in St Joseph’s Chapel which formed the centre of the male and female wards.

It was only in 1926 that the Leprosy hospital got its first full time trained doctor. That was Dr Aloysius Felix Coelho who took charge after completing his training at the school of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta. He continued to serve the hospital for 35 years.

The arrival of Swiss doctors in 1962 brought in a sea of change in the quality of care and treatment for this disease. These doctors belonged to a committed agency, Swiss Emmaus which was dedicated to the cause of leprosy. Dr C Heinz, Dr Wintsch, Dr V P Macaden and Dr S E Macaden belonged to this time. They introduced the concept of reconstructive surgery for the deformities in leprosy followed by rehabilitation. Mrs. Heidi Dutt (Zehnder) was the Swiss lady who founded the Rehabilitation Unit in 1965.

St Joseph Leprosy Hospital has contributed substantially to the eradication of leprosy in the Dakshina Kannada district. School surveys were being conducted in all the primary schools of Mangalore city to detect leprosy in its early stages. Outreach programme to cover Moodbidri, Ganjimutt, Kallamundkur, Kinnigoli and Bantwal was arranged in the form of weekly skin clinics. This outreach programme later on was changed to Leprosy Control programme in Ullal area covering 14 villages comprising more than 1 lakh population, where house to house survey was conducted to detect leprosy cases. The programme was launched in 1986 and an intensive survey for 1 to 2 years in that area showed a prevalence of 24 cases per ten thousand population. This prevalence gradually decreased over a period of 15 to 18 years and was brought to 0.6 per ten thousand population in the year 2002 when this programme was wound up as we attained the elimination point i.e leprosy cases less than one per ten thousand.

The year 1990 was a witness to the centenary celebration of St Joseph Leprosy Hospital. The very next year post graduate course was started with 2 MD and 1 diploma in dermatology, venereology and leprosy under Mangalore University. Presently the hospital has transformed into a full-fledged dermatology department having adequate teaching faculty, nineteen post graduates students, modern amenities including lasers for the treatment of various skin disorders.

Source : dioceseofmangalore.com