Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital

Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital

Geography
Location| Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Coordinates| 33°37′07″N 73°04′21″E﻿ / ﻿33.6186°N 73.0726°E﻿ / 33.6186; 73.0726
Organisation
Care system| Public
Religious affiliation| British Leprosy Mission
History
Opened| 1904
Links
Lists| Hospitals in Pakistan

The Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital (Urdu: راولپنڈی لیپروسی ہسپتال) is a non-profit leprosy hospital in Pakistan. It is among the oldest leprosy hospitals in the region.[1][2]

Chris Schmotzer is the current medical director of the hospital.[3]

## History

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It was established in 1904 by the British Leprosy Mission.[4][5] Originally situated in a remote area outside Rawalpindi, the hospital now located in a densely populated part of the city.[4] The hospital's creation was proposed by an American professor, R. R. Stewart, teaching at the nearby Gordon College, after encountering a group of lepers living on the city's outskirts, in a leper colony, as mandated by the Lepers Act, 1827.[4][6]

The hospital provided treatment for leprosy patients from across British India. In the late 1930s, a home for healthy children of patients was established, though it was closed in the early 1960s due to changes in treatment methods.[4] The American Mission also built asylums for leprosy patients, but these were eventually closed or converted into hospitals following the discovery of a cure in 1948.[4]

In 1968, the German Leprosy Relief Association-backed organization Aid to Leprosy Patients assumed control of the hospital, and by 1965, it began serving as a referral center.[4] Since 1970, the hospital has operated a 40-bed short-term admission unit and a six-day-a-week outpatient clinic.[4]

The General Skin Clinic, introduced in 1972, treats leprosy alongside other skin diseases and assists with early detection.[4] Subsequent additions to the hospital include the general physiotherapy department in 1981, an eye clinic in 1995, and a surgical unit in 1986.[4] In 1999, a small-scale tuberculosis control program was initiated.[4]

Aid to Leprosy Patients created a social department in 1992 to rehabilitate cured patients by assessing individual needs and implementing rehabilitation steps.[4] The Leprosy Control Programme in Pakistan is a collaboration between the provincial health department and Aid to Leprosy Patients.[4]

## References

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1. ^ "World Leprosy Day: Visit to the oldest leprosy hospital in Pakistan". World Health Organization.
2. ^ "Embassy donates cash to leprosy hospital". The News International.
3. ^ Shuaib, Haroon. "Dr. Chris Schmotzer: German Physician Fighting Leprosy in Pakistan for the last 35 Years". Youlin Magazine.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi hosts the oldest leprosy hospital in region". DAWN.COM. January 27, 2002.
5. ^ "German sisters provide renewed hope for Pakistan's leprosy, TB patients". The Express Tribune. June 2, 2013.
6. ^ "Focus on people living with leprosy". The New Humanitarian. January 26, 2004.