Hospital
Out Patient Department
Origin :
Our OPD was built and inaugurated on Feb 2004 with tin sheet on the roof. Mr. Christopher Von Toggenburg (Bike for Help) from Switzerland helped us graciously in building the Out Patient Block.
Renovation : The OPD was renovated in March 2011 with a concrete roof by the help of 'A BETTER WORLD', Canada.
Working Days : The special leprosy OPD is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But patients coming for treatment on any day are seen, and not turned back.
Departments / Services : The OPD consists of Consultation Room, Casualty, Dressing Room, X-ray Unit, Physiotherapy Unit, Dental Unit, Eye Screening Unit, Medical Records Room, Pharmacy and Laboratory. In the Medical Records Room, we have more than 6600 leprosy patient's charts kept permanently.
Types of cases : 75% of cases are skin cases including leprosy. The remaining 25% cases are general cases like DM with ulcer, Hypertension, Arthritis etc..
Billing :
- Leprosy medicines are given free of cost.
- Non leprosy medicines are billed according to patient's affordability.
Never is a patient sent back, or left untreated because they can't afford the treatment.
Wards
The Men's Ward :
St.Luke's is a REFERRAL CENTRE for leprosy patients suffering from complications, which cannot be managed by the general practitioners or other hospitals. To meet the needs of such patients requiring hospitalization, there are three wards, two for men, and one for women, with 33 beds each. In the Mercy Home, there are 8 beds. The in-patients receive not only free treatment, but also food, shelter, and clothing free of cost.
The Women's Ward :
Leprosy affliction among men and women is in the ratio of 2:1. If the plight of the leprosy patient in general is pathetic, that of the female leprosy patient is tragic. When a husband is affected by leprosy, the typical Indian wife (Bharata-Nari) sticks to him until death doeth them apart. But if a wife is affected by leprosy, the husband very often deserts his wife and re-marries.
Staff :
The very success of this institution lies with our staff. Our staffs have dedicated their lives for our institution. Though the salaries here are much lower compared to any other establishments, they work earnestly as a team without any complaints. Medical ethics and ideologies are part of their daily routine.
Administrative Block :
Working Days : Daily 9.00AM to 6.00PM. The work starts with morning staff prayers. Sunday is a holiday for the office staff. The phone attender is always available.
Accounts : All the income and expenses are documented and maintained by register. Every year, Diocesan Audit under the Treasurer and also indigenous audit under the Auditor takes place. The finance statement is submitted in every Governing Board Meeting, held twice a year. FCRA & IT exemption accounts are maintained at the diocesan level.
Correspondence : Leprosarium mainly depends on donations from donors, friends, well wishers and congregations. The receipts, special thanks letters, reports and photos are sent regularly to the donors. The fund raising materials, such as hospital write-up, mini-album, and adoption schemes are sent to donors. To the child sponsors, and the leprosy patient supporters, we regularly send updates. The children's letters are translated in English and are sent to the foreign donors and patients road to recovery is also updated.
Computer Section : Computers and typewriters occupy this section. We have internet facility for email correspondence. Most of the reports are sent by email.
Filing : All the letter communications are filed. The endowment donors are kept in separate files. Each child has a separate file. Each patient has a separate file as bed support. All the meal slots are meticulously organized.
Fund Raising : The fund raising team visits Churches, Schools, and Colleges. The scientific facts about leprosy are taught to the students along with the section of the adoption scheme. Our needs are also explained.
Public Relation : The information about leprosarium's adoption schemes and meal sponsorship are given in this section, especially to students and volunteers :
- Those who visit us are given a tour of our leprosarium.
- Organizing and arranging special meals for both the Annual donors and Permanent donors.
- Coordination for student orientation programme, health talks and taking classes for medical and nursing students from various colleges.
Children’s Home :
Women affected by leprosy are often deserted by their husbands and left to deal with the twin spectors of poverty and illness. The women are responsible not only for seeking treatment for themselves, but also for providing for their children as a single parent. The medical officer was faced with a dilemma when a lady affected with leprosy and needing urgent admission refused to get admitted sighting her six children as the cause. Her admission into the hospital would render her six children guardian - less since she had been deserted by the rest of her family. Thus was born the plan for the home for healthy children, where the children would not only be housed, but clothed, nourished and educated in a normal school.
Most of the children of our home have been forsaken by their own healthy father. Some of them are children of parents who are too disabled and left with no choice but to beg.
All children attend the ‘normal’ schools, in the nearby villages. After Std X or Plus Two of schooling they are sent to technical schools (ITIs) where they are given job-oriented technical training and later helped to secure jobs leading to productive lives, "Thanks to the ‘THE LEPROSY MISSION’, and its Vocational Rehabilitation Centre at Vadathorasalur. The ideology of “Today’s children – Tomorrow’s citizen" is strictly adhered to here.
Educating a present generation in the family tree of the patient paid rich dividends by promoting the socio economic status of the said family to a new earning level and genarate the much needed self respect and confidence in the society. We also provide sponsorship to children studying from their home-town, staying with their parents. Children are also helped in their higher education with scholarships.
Rehabilitation :
Even after cure, the ill-informed society continues to ostracize the ex-leprosy subjects, denying them equal employment opportunities. These unfortunate victims have only one option, begging!, A tragedy as bad as the disease itself. St.Luke's extends its services even beyond the hospital. The rejected are employed in the Agro - Farm attached to the Leprosarium, or in the hospital itself as ward helpers / volunteers etc. Training in various vocations, suiting the patient and his background are integrated into the routine so that the patients, facing the world afresh can lead their lives on their own, with dignity. In the farming sector, training is given in agriculture, goat-rearing, EMU farming, gardening and piggery. Those interested are initiated into modern trends in cultivation such as drip-irrigation, concrete farming, cross cropping etc..
Other vocations are tailoring, basket making, mat weaving, candle making and shoe-making.
Goat Farming :
After cure, many patients don't have anything to go back to. St.Luke's gives them training in scientific goat-farming. After the in house trainning with the Jamuna Pari goats, they are sent home with a few goats given free (returnable in kind later when the animal breeds). By rearing the high-breed varieties, they manage to earn a tidy sum.
Emu Farming :
Our Leprosarium has recently established Emu farming. Emu farming is a new scheme. These are all maintained by our cured leprosy patient. Once equipped with skill to take care of these birds, patients find it easier getting employment in similar farms outside.
Piggery :
A cautious beginning has been made in pig-farming using Yorkshire pigs. In pig-farming, the principal item of expenditure is the feeding cost. The food comes free from the kitchen as kitchen-waste, and from the left-over food.
Candle Making :
Candle making is also taught to the patients. A cured leprosy subject, is a master of this art of candle making. Donors and well-wishers during their visit to St. Luke's Leprosarium, buy these beautiful candles.
Plastic Wire Basket Making :
Many patients, especially women are taught this art. These bags are sold and the income is directly given to patients enabling them to buy more raw materials and the cycle continues.
Palm Tree Leaf’s Basket Making :
There are Palm-Tree leaf baskets also made by our patients. A cured leprosy subject is a master of making these baskets. Baskets are sold at various functions and are also made on demand in various sizes and shapes.
Tailoring :
St.Luke's helps the children of leprosy patients or cured leprosy subjects by gifting Sewing Machine to increase their earning capacity. They can lead a normal life in the society.
Kitchen :
Our kitchen building was gifted by The Leprosy Mission in 1993. It has a gas connection for cooking. Thanks to The Isaac family charitable fund (IFCF), USA. There is a cement path way constructed from the kitchen to the men's ward for carrying food. Thanks to The Tamil Christian Congregation, of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Singapore. Food trolley is used for carrying food. Thanks to IFCF for this gift. Recently bio-gas plants were installed in the campus with the connections extending into the kitchen.
Mercy Home :
Sometimes, leprosy can cause blindness. The plight of a blind leprosy patient is pathetic beyond words. A 'normal' blind person manages to 'grope' his way through with the help of his sensitive hands and feet. But a 'leprosy' patient has already lost sensitivity in his hands and feet. Therefore he cannot feel his way through. Such patients come to St. Luke's, begging for refuge. St. Luke's offers permanent shelter to such desperately disabled patients. They are cared for life and are never sent back. Thanks to DIK ( Deutsch-Indisches Kinderhilfswerk ) Germany, for the gift of the mercy home to house these patients. There are 8 beds in this mercy home.
Vision :
To love and care for the leprosy-sufferers as Jesus did when he was on earth.
"Heal the sick and preach the Gospel".
The St.Luke's has the following Christian Activities:
- Daily morning Patients worship.
- Daily morning Staff prayers.
- Daily evening patients worship.
- Children’s intersession.
- Sunday morning Holy Matins service.
- Monthly once Holy Communion service.
- Sunday school for children.
- Regular praise and worship by donors and well wishers, when they visit our Leprosarium.
- Vocational bible school programme (Yearly).
- Special services like Baptism, Funerals etc.
The Mission of St.Luke's :
- To decrease the prevalence and incidence of leprosy.
- To prevent deformity and dependence.
- To rehabilitate the disabled.
- To dispel ignorance and to enlighten the society.
- To reduce the stigma attached with leprosy.
- To educate the children of leprosy-afflicted beggars and to provide them with Job-oriented technical training thus giving the family the much needed socio economic status.
A CHRISTIAN DESIRE - A prayer by Dr.R.Vedabodakam.
LORD JESUS, MAKE THYSELF TO ME A LIVING BRIGHT REALITY.
MORE PRESENT TO FAITHS VISION KEEN THAN ANY OUTWARD OBJECT SEEN.
MORE DEAR, MORE INTIMATELY HIGH THAN THE SWEETEST EARTHLY TIE
- AMEN.
Health Education :
Leprosy is still shrouded in mystery and superstition. Many do not even know that leprosy can be cured. With audiovisual aids, the St. Luke's Leprosarium's Health Education Team preaches the good news that leprosy is curable, and free treatment is available. As part of their efforts, various schools and colleges are visited throughout the year. Health talks about HIV / AIDS and prevention lessons in health management are also administered.
Training :
Volunteer Training : St.Luke's gives One Day Volunteer Training to various volunteers. Any person, who wants to participate in this programme, comes to Peikulam. First the scientific facts about leprosy are taught. After that all the hospital activities are shown. Then hospital write – ups and fund raising cards are given. Finally, a Volunteer Training Participation Certificate is given to the person. This training is completely free. After the training, when this person goes back, he spends one hour per day or one day per week at his respective place. He shares about our leprosarium to his friends, relatives, collegemates, etc..
This helps the well wishers to come to our leprosarium and learn about our leprosy relief activities. Overall, this volunteer acts as a good ambassador of our leprosarium.
Leprosy Orientation Programme : St.Luke's gives leprosy orientation programme to overseas students. Pre medical students or medical students visit our leprosarium to learn about leprosy. We give information about scientific facts of leprosy, patient care, health education and rehabilitation. We have two air–conditioned guest houses for the students.
Photo Gallery
