Medical Elective Report: Premananda Memorial Leprosy Mission Hospital, Kolkata

As part of our medical training, Joanne and I went to do our elective in the Premananda Memorial Leprosy Mission Hospital in Kolkata, India.  We spent a total of 6 weeks at the hospital, which was situated about 20 minutes by taxi from the centre of Kolkata.  The medical staff consisted of one surgeon, 2 general physicians and an ophthalmologist.  We were able to sit in on the various outpatient clinics, and spend time in the operating theatres observing and assisting in the operations, which were predominantly plastic surgery cases.  We also got to spend some time in the physiotherapy department and the laboratory.

We were able to go out into the communities around the hospital, and see the rehabilitation programmes being run by the hospital.  This was very interesting, as we saw several projects that were successful and one that was not.  One of the ex-patients had been so successful he was now expanding the project, and he had also become a Christian.  Our favourite visit was to an elderly lady called Punima who had been left disfigured by leprosy. TLM had provided her with a pension every month, and had put the daughters of the family who took care of her through school.  On visiting her, it was obvious how grateful she was to the mission for providing for her and this family.  We were very touched by this visit, and enjoyed spending time there and having tea with them.

As part of our stay, we were given the opportunity to travel to the Leprosy Hospital in Purulia, which was a very large rural hospital about 300 miles away from Kolkata by train.  We stayed there for 3 days and found it very interesting to see how the more traditional leprosy hospital worked and dealt with the sheer volume of patients coming daily.  It was a very worthwhile trip.

The staff at the hospital mostly spoke very good English, and they were very friendly and welcoming; we were often invited to their homes for meals and on excursions with them. 

The hospital provided accommodation for us about ten/fifteen minutes walk away from the hospital.  The accommodation was very spacious and equipped with a kitchen, fridge and dining area.  The hospital also provided meals for us in the mornings and evenings, and took us to purchase food from a nearby shop at lunchtime.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our elective experience.  The hospital staff were all so welcoming and took such great care of us; we were very sad to have to leave at the end of the 6 weeks!  We also learned a lot about leprosy and the continuing stigma that results from it, which was a very important message to bring home.

Rebecca Hamill & Joanne Deacon