Spolong Leprosy Hospital, 2003
Brief history and present situation.
Brief history and present situation.
Based on the oldest registration found, the hospital was erected in 1930. Dr Sujono was the founder during the Dutch occupation. The purpose was that to facilitate the health care for leprosy patients from 3 districts in Lombok. The hospital has a clinic run by one doctor and one nurse, but there is no in-patient department. All patients / ex-leprosy patients are living in the houses which is provided by the government at 12 hectares of land. Therefore this compound is more correct to be named as a settlement.
At present there are 10 ex-leprosy patients within 7 couples are living in this settlement. The composition of the 7 couples are as follows: One couple with husband and wife is ex-leprosy patient, 5 couples with husbands are ex-leprosy and wives are normal, and one couple the husband is normal and the wife is ex-leprosy patient. One ex-leprosy patient is widow and one is widower. Number of children who are living within the 7 couples are 15 (all of them are normal). Numbers of normal couples (never affected leprosy) are 17 couples with a total of 34 children. Total healthy people is 103. Total number of inhabitants are 113, therefore the ratio of ex-leprosy patients is 9%.
During the period of 1993 – 1995, the government tried to stop the subsidy by divided the land and give to the ex-leprosy patients, they are free to use the land but asked them to pay the taxes. But many problems encountered and then the province government took over the problems and established the land belongs to the province again. Ex-leprosy patients were subsidized by the province in the form of ration i.e 10 kgs of Rice, 10 eggs, I kg sugar, a kg oil cooking.
