Leprosy Hospital’s proposed OPD pivot raises concern

KMC says decision taken during Governor Tessori’s visit

KARACHI:

It wasn’t too long ago that leprosy was considered a highly contagious ‘divine punishment’ and those suffering from it cast away in a far-off place. Those who developed the skin disease were abandoned by families, often left to die in misery all on their own.

In Dr Ruth Pfau, a German-born medical missionary, the lepers found a messiah. She set up the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) in 1956 where lepers were taken care of. The awareness she created resulted in the setting up of leprosy centres across the country. One of those centres was the Leprosy Hospital in Manghopir.

The hospital, which is under the supervision of the Karachi Municipal Corporation, is sprawled over 32 acres and fitted with 200 beds. Over 100 patients are currently at the

It includes the ‘Garam Chasma’ (hot spring), with locals believing that its water has alleviative, if not curative, powers.

KMC Medical and Health Services Senior Director Dr Nadeem Asif said that an out-patient department would be added to the Leprosy Hospital. The decision was taken during a visit to the hospital by Governor Kamran Tessori for a World Leprosy Day event.

“There are no government or private sector hospital in the area. The residents are facing problems, and this is why the OPD department would be made operational in the next week or two,” Dr Asif said.

Read Leprosy stages a comeback in mountainous districts

There are concerns that adding OPD services might take the hospital’s focus away from leprosy patients, with the disease believed to be under-control and lack of new cases. However, as experts point out, the incubation period for the disease can range from five to 20 years.

Once an oasis for lepers, the hospital is already suffering from mismanagement. A lack of medicines has been blamed on embezzlement. There have been complaints that even meals aren’t provided properly, even though they are sent by the Saylani Welfare Trust. There have also been murmurs that donations by philanthropists have gone missing.

Marvin Lobo has been working with the MALC for three decades. Currently its CEO, he credits Dr Pfau for changing how lepers were treated in Pakistan.

“Before the arrival of Dr Ruth Pfau, leprosy patients in Pakistan were left to die on remote areas instead of special care units. Dr Pfau’s efforts resulted in collaborative programmes with health departments in each province for the setting up of leprosy hospitals. It was at a time when there was not enough awareness about the disease," Lobo said.

The institute has been actively working to eradicate leprosy for the last six decades, he added.

According to the MALC, the number of new patients has been decreasing in the country over the last 25 years. Despite that, 200-300 new patients with leprosy are registered annually across Pakistan, they add.

There was a leper colony at II Chandigarh Road called "Koorhi Mohalla” (lepers’ neighbourhood) around three decades ago, said Lobo. The blood and pus from their wounds would mix in sewage and consumed by rodents.
“The people suffering from this disease were looked at with hatred and were isolated. But today, the situation is different,” said Lobo while lauding Dr Pfau’s legacy.

Dr Kanta, who is a ward in-charge at the MALC, said that the disease spreads due to the entry of bacteria into the body through the respiratory tube. Pale patches start appearing on the body of the patient. Over time, the patient might not feel pain but will have stiffness in the limbs.
According to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), the only treatment for the disease is timely medication. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for it. The WHO guideline adds that the treatment of this disease requires six months to two years.

If the patient has one mark on his or her body, it could be cured in six months. In case, the affected person is treated at an early stage, they can carry out normal activities of life. But many patients go to unqualified practitioners, delaying timely diagnosis.

An earlier version of the story erroneously named the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) as the hospital working under the KMC. The name of the hospital under KMC is the Leprosy Hospital. MALC is a non-profit organisation working separately on the issue. The error is regretted.