St.Joseph's Leprosy Hospital
St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital is completing this year 111 years of its meritorious service in the field of Leprosy. At a time when Leprosy was really a dreadful disease, for want of scientific treatment, late Fr. Augustus Muller S.J., started a home for such unfortunate patients in the year 1890. This was started as an asylum in Jeppo. It was thus called as St. Joseph's Asylum and was located between the two Jeppoo graveyards. For years, control and eradication of the disease could not be thought of. The patients were only helped to live as best as they could and pass on to a better world when God called them. Fr. Muller purchased 10 acres of land on Kankanady Hill, got it levelled and erected New Leprosy Hospital building with 11 rooms, 6 for men and 5 for women. The cost of construction was Rs. 5000/- and hospital was occupied in 1892. this was named as "St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital and Asylum.


When the demand for more accommodation came, two more rooms were added in 1906 by the help received from St. Francis Leprosy Guild, London. The inpatient strength of the hospital was slowly increasing and was 50 in 1909. The hospital was under the direct supervision of Fr. Muller. A warden was administering medicines and maintaining order. The diet for the inpatients were coming from the main hospital.

Fr. Muller being not happy in the results achieved by the homoeopathic medicines started allopathic hospital 5 years later, which is the present Fr. Muller's Hospital. The doctors who helped him and then later continued to serve the hospital were Dr. L.P. Fernandes and Dr. S.L.D.Mascarenhus. They were ably assisted by Rev Sisters from Italy belonging to the congregation of "Sisters of Charity" in the year 1910. Sr. Matilda, Sr. Candida, Sr. Leonilde and Sr. Josephine were prominent among them. Then in 1910 November 1st the Founder of this Hospital Fr. Muller went to his heavenly abode. He is buried in the St. Joseph's Chapel which is the center of Male and Female wing of St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital.

It was only in 1926 that the Leprosy Hospital got its first full time, trained doctors. Dr. Aloysius Felix Coelho took charge as a Medical Officer after completing his training at the school of Tropical Medicines, Calcutta. He continued to serve the hospital for 35 years, after which he became the Honorary Secretary of Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh, Dakshina Kannada Branch. The Hospital was having its own X-Ray unit and an operation theater during Dr. Coelho's time.

The real bang came with the arrival of Swiss doctors on the scene. They had been a very enthusiastic world famous agency working very hard for the eradication of this disease. The late Re. Fr. Marian Fernandes brought about the collaboration of Swiss Emmaus and since then the St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital is carrying on its work on most modern lives. In 1962 Dr. C. Heinz took charge as the Superintendent after finishing his training in Leprosy and reconstructive surgery at Vellore. The first task undertaken by this doctor was to establish a "Shoe Workshop" which had the top priority among the list of requirements. With his modern drugs, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and so on gave new hope to the suffering Leprosy patients.The field work in order to detect Leprosy cases was also undertaken which is the present day's S.E.T.(Survey, Education and Treatment) programme. If today the hospital can be proud of modern treatment of Leprosy, the credit goes a large share to the Swiss Emmaus Association "Serve those that suffer most" was the motto introduced by the pioneer of Swiss project in 1963 and true to the spirit they still animate us by their encouragement sympathy and concern for the Leprosy striken. He rendered his service for three years and after him Dr. Wintch, Dr.V.P. Mecaden and Mrs. S.E. Mecaden continued the service till 1969 December. During this period of Swiss doctors our Sr. Edmond who is still with us rendered her devoted service to these less fortunate brethren. She is one among the first batch who passed out from the school of Nursing. She worked as a staff nurse and she was a link between the doctors and the patients in the better health care. She rendered her valuable service for 8 years and she joined the School of Nursing as a sister tutor.

In 1964 an attempt was made to shift the Leprosy hospital to a place called Mullerkad which is 7 kilometers away from Kankanady. The foundation stone was also laid for the hospital by the union Health Minister. But this did not materialise and the St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital remained as a part and parcel of Fr. Muller's Charitable Institutions.

After setting up a good Leprosy Hospital with modern approach to its treatment Dr. Heinz handed over unfinished assignment to another Swiss doctor Dr. K. Wintch who took charge as the Superintendent in 1966. He was being assisted by Dr(Mrs)K. Wintsch.

Dr. V.P. Mecaden and Dr. Mrs Mecaden together they formed a good surgical and medical team. Dr. V.P. Mecaden became the Superintendent in 1967 after Dr. K. Wintsch left and was in charge till 1969. it was during this Swiss doctors time, that various recreational facilities like carrom, music, table tennis and other indoor games were provided to the patients.

Dr. Sr. Immaculate having graduated from Italy had to shoulder the responsibility of being the Medical Superintendent from early 1970. She continued the good work of Leprosy detection, treatment, education and reconstructive surgery, which was being done by her predecessors. Along with her Dr. Derek Lobo, Dr. Jerome Pinto and Dr. Sr. Vida, worked as one team for the same cause. With the good team spirit, the Mangalore city school children were surveyed for detection of Leprosy and the clinics were conducted in the villages of Moodbidri, Ganjimutt, and Bantwal. The detected cases were provided free treatment. She was the last among the Superintendents of the ST. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital. After her departure in 1979, the hospital administration was taken over by Fr. Muller's Charitable Institutions and thus the Leprosy Hospital was merged with the main hospital. As St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital was treating all kinds of skin diseases since Dr. A.F. Coelho's time and they V.P. Mecaden, Dr (Mrs) Wintsch, it was being addressed to as "Skin Department" of Fr. Muller's Hospital.

Sr. Emily Lobo who was assisting Dr. Sr. Immaculate was the Sister Incharge of the department form 1979 to 1987. She has rendered her service for full 20 years as staff nurse and later as a Incharge. Two important developments took place during this period. The para medical worker's training programme was re-started. This programme had come to a stand still for many years due to various problems. Secondly the "Survey, Education and Treatment programme" which is part of the National Leprosy Eradication programme was launched in a population comprising of one lakh belonging to the Ullal Primary Health Centre of Dakshina Kannada in March 1986. it has been going on with full vigor since then.

As on today the St. Joseph's Leprosy Hospital has a bed strength of 120. it has a shoe workshop, physiotherapy, Laboratory, Reconstructive surgical facilities, Dermatology wing, training programme and a Leprosy Control programme. All the activities are under the able stewardship of Sr. Irene Saldanha who is presently the incharge sister. Those who work in Leprosy unlike other medical teams become sensitive to the word "Leprosy" and as fanatics of Israel that were fighting for the promised land they fight tooth and nail for the cause of Leprosy. It is not the merit of any single person if the work proceeds smoothly and efficiently but the credit goes to the TEAM spirit which stimulates and pushes us forward. Hence every one of the staff is equally responsible for the well being of our patients.

At present the medical surgical treatment is carried out by Dr. Nanda Kishore, Medical Officer (Leprologist) and Dr. Ganesh Kamath (Associate Medical Officer) (Dermatologist) along with other 16 staff working only for Leprosy eradication.

St Joseph's Leprosy hospital, Mangalore has the reputation of being one of the oldest voluntary organisations to start work in the field of leprosy. It is a constituent unit of Fr. Muller's Charitable Institutions, catering exclusively ot leprosy patients in the Dakshina Kannada district and surrounding areas. Today this unit has grown into a full fledged hospital with modern facilities for the treatment and rehabilitation of Hansen's patients.

Facilities

Medical Records :
Out patients are treated 4 days in a week and the average attendance per out-patient is 80. the Medical Records department is responsible for maintaining the regularity of the patients coming for treatment by sending reminders to those who are irregular or absent for a long period. Treatment throughout the post is available to patients whose cases are well stabilised and who reside far away from the hospital.

Besides hansen's patients, all types of skin disease patients are seen by the Dermatologist in our out patient clinic.

Laboratory
Only skin smears are taken in this department and it coordinates its work with that of the general laboratory.

Physiotherapy
We have a physiotherapy unit exclusively for this department. Intensive pre-and post operative follow-up of the patients sensory and muscle- assessment, wax-bath therapy, care of hands and feet, constitute the work of this unit.

Social Service

The Medico-social Worker is responsible for the department. The activities are

• Socio-Economic and Vocational assessment and follow up of patients
• Health Education to patients and public Film shows, Talk with slide show, Individual talks
• Helping patients to get the benefits of govt. social security schemes like Old-age pension, Physically handicapped pension, Widow pension, Artificial limb
  

RURAL WORK
Weekly skin clinics were being conducted at 4 rural centers of Dakshina Kannada, viz. Moodbidri, Ganjimutt, Kallamundkur and Bantwal. Voluntary reporting was the only mode of detection of H.D cases here. We did not have a control area till then. Being encouraged by the State Government and our donor agencies we took up an area with a one-lakh population for the control work in 1986. In order to run the control work smoothly and efficiently with the existing staff we stopped the rural skin clinics.

SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMME.
This programme was started 1968 and was continued till February 1985. Since we took up the S.E.T. Project in the Ullal area with a view to concentrating more attention on the project area, we have handed over the school health programme to the H.K.N.S. Of the Dakshina Kannada branch which comes within the purview of the urban project area.