Champa Hospital, IndiaThe Bethesda Leprosy Home and Champa Hospital in India were founded in 1902 by Rev. P.A. Penner as a refuge for patients who had been driven out of their homes because of leprosy and the resulting fear and stigma towards them. The Leprosy Mission took over this home in 1903 and by the 1950s the facility was transformed into a hospital with patients, in-patients and surgical facilities. Currently this hospital is functioning as a centre for treating leprosy patients who have been referred by government health workers, or who have self-reported their condition.
There are 60 beds in the patient wing of the hospital, plus x-ray facilities, general and leprosy physiotherapy clinics, a laboratory, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology and dermatology departments.
Despite the many successes in controlling leprosy, the district still has some very specific challenges. There is a high leprosy prevalence rate and a high disability rate. There are no referral hospitals to serve leprosy patients in nearby districts and no other hospital offers exclusive care for neuritis, lepra reaction, and ulcer care.
Champa Hospital has been very conscious of the changing health care scenario in India. A general outpatient department was initiated in 2002 to meet the needs of the community for fair priced but high quality medical care. Integrated care between leprosy and non-leprosy patients serves to reduce the stigma of leprosy and facilitate the integration of leprosy patients back into their communities.
With help from Bethseda, patients can begin to face their future with more confidence as they look past their physical ailments with treatment and assistive devices. Our hope is that the hospital can continue to grow to allow more people struggling with leprosy to see a future full of dignity.
Specific Goals of the Project:
- To provide high quality, comprehensive and specialized leprosy referral services
- To provide 24 hour emergency care services
- To to work with other organizations and the government to enhance health care services in the community
- To build and strengthen linkage with the target community through the community health services
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Savitribai: A Life Restored
Savitribai Dhimar, 40, is completely illiterate and her husband, Sonauram, 45, has never been to school. Yet they have three children who were fortunate enough to be able to go to school!
Savitribai’s story is bit different from other stories we typically hear of people diagnosed with leprosy. She was healthy but soon after she gave birth to her daughter, both her hands and legs started trembling.
“I saw that I had developed patches on my hands” says Savitribai. “Gradually my entire face became covered with patches."
“When my sister-in-law saw me, she took me to one doctor who told us that I was suffering from leprosy. I took medicine for over a year but again the patches came up. Then my in-laws took me to the Bethesda Leprosy Hospital in 2002."
Savitribai had to take medication for another year. Fortunately, this time she was fully cured! But both of Savitribai’s feet became ‘dropped’, and were unable to be lifted as she walked. She had to undergo reconstructive surgery,
The good news is that Savitribai can now walk with the help of a drop splint!
“Because of my situation, I was given financial aid of Rs 7,500 to buy a few goats,” Savitribai says. “There was a time when we had 22 goats, but we recently sold around 16 of them, which brought us a healthy profit! I was also given a small amount of money to build a small house through the Low Cost Housing Program.”
Fast Facts:
- Bethesda Leprosy Home and Champa Hospital are located in the Chhattisgarh state of India
- Chhattisgarh state has a population of nearly 20.8 million people
- Agriculture is the main activity in the region with some mining and other industries
- This hospital registers about 1,260 new leprosy patients each year
- The leprosy prevalence rate is 4.8 / 10,000 in Chhattisgarh state
- Each year 5,000 leprosy-affected patients and 16,000 general care patients are admitted for the first time in the outpatient department
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