General information
Based on the oldest
registration found, the hospital was erected in 1930. Dr. Sujono was the
founder during the Dutch occupation. The purpose was facilitating health care
for leprosy patients from 3 districts on Lombok island.
Now it is actually not a
hospital anymore, but a settlement; there is no in-patient department, but
there is a clinic run by one doctor and one nurse. All people affected by
leprosy live in houses provided by the government at 12 hectares of land.
Only 10 (9 %) of the 103
inhabitants are affected by leprosy. There are 49 children in the compound;
none of them ever had leprosy.
During the period of 1993 –
1995, the government wanted to stop monthly support to the people and divided
the land to give to the people affected by leprosy; they are free to use the
land but have to pay taxes. But this led to many problems and then the provincial
government took over the land again. People affected by leprosy get a monthly ration
from the province: 10 kg of rice, 10 eggs, I kg sugar and 1 liter cooking oil.
The local government wants
to discuss with the province to make the settlement the responsibility of the social department, because there are no
medical needs in the settlement anymore. The provincial authority would
actually prefer to no longer regard it as a settlement but to consider it a
‘normal’ village.
Medical services
One doctor and one nurse
run a daily clinic at the settlement. There is no facility for septic surgery, no
footwear or other aid devices are available in the clinic.
About 5 km from the settlement there is a health centre. The head of
the health centre is a doctor and he says the health centre is open for the
people from the settlement as well,
especially if they have general diseases. But they never come to the health
centre. One of the staff in the health centre has had leprosy training. But in
the last two years no new patients were found.
The district general
hospital also never receives leprosy patients. But the referral system between
the health centre and the hospital is good.
