Today I went to Vimala Centre in Versova, a Leprosy Hospital
specializing in inpatient care. This
hospital was an example of vertical integration, as the care given was
Leprosy-specific and patients with ulcers or disabilities stayed in the
hospital for continuous treatment. This
visit made me even more grateful for choosing to intern at Bombay Leprosy
Project, and showed me the difference between Leprosy NGOs.
Vimala’s facilities were a lot nicer, as the complex was
huge compared to BLP’s facilities. Most
of the patients in Vimala had Grade II deformities, significantly more than
those at BLP. When I asked about ulcer
and disability care, the employees told me that they were only offered as part
of inpatient care. This showed me the
emphasis that BLP put on preventative and self-care.
The second part of my visit consisted of visiting the
inpatient rooms. This visit made me
extremely solemn, as I saw at least five beds crammed in one room. Many of the patients were missing limbs and
had deep ulcers. While some were
grateful for the care they were getting, others were extremely sad. One moment that I remember extremely well was
when I entered a room and I noticed a patient curled up and shaking. While all the others seemed to welcome our
visit, the man was curled up on his bed shaking. Because at BLP, I am able to interact with
patients, even with a communication barrier, I tried to approach the man. However, the man turned away whimpering. This interaction prompted me to ask the
employee about psychological services, in which she told me that there were
none.
The inpatient rooms seemed very lonely, as none of the
patients I saw had visitors. Instead,
they were surrounded by reminders of the disease they had. This made me realize that the integration of
Leprosy care into the General Health System was a good thing, as it helped get
rid of the stigma towards the disease.
Overall, my visit to Vimala Centre was an informative one, as
it showed me another approach towards the treatment of Leprosy. Vimala Centre stressed immediate care of the
patient, while BLP stressed both immediate and preventative care of the
patient.
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