Leprosy hospital has fallen on hard times
Leprosy hospital has fallen on hard times
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Stepping into the 53-hectare hospital complex, one cannot help but notice the gloom and sense of isolation. All of the buildings in the complex are old and dilapidated, some crumbling to the ground.
Paint peels off the dirty walls of the buildings and most of the beds do not have mattresses. The patches of grass and trees on the grounds look forlorn and untended. Several patches of green where patients grow vegetables are the only signs of freshness in the complex.
Walking along the corridors of the buildings, one is inevitably struck by the sight of patients sleeping on benches.
One thing that distinguishes the Sitanala Leprosy Hospital on Jl. Dr. Sitanala in Neglasari district, Tangerang municipality, from other hospitals is the minuscule number of patients and visitors.
Why has the only leprosy center in the whole of Java been allowed to fall into such poor condition?
Hospital deputy director Handoko Soewono acknowledged that services for lepers at the hospital had decreased as the number of patients fell from year to year.
One of the reasons for the cut in services is the Ministry of Health's plan to integrate services for lepers in public health centers and general hospitals in regencies and provinces.
"Leprosy is no longer a big problem in medical science. It is just a matter of Mycobacterium leprae bacteria that destroy skin and nerves," Handoko told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He said the hospital was beginning to focus on research, development and rehabilitation. The treatments offered to lepers, if any, would only serve the needs of research and development.
"It is time for lepers to be treated at public health centers just like patients with other diseases, starting from community health centers at the district level up to general hospitals at the regency and provincial levels," he said.
Treating lepers at leprosy hospitals has its disadvantages, according to Handoko. He said once patients were released from leprosy hospitals, they would likely be ostracized by their neighbors.
Leprosy hospitals have been viewed as places of refuge for lepers, and this image has left patients reluctant to go home once their treatment is finished, he said
"Actually, 99 percent of the patients at this hospital just need to overcome the physical handicaps left by the disease, once seen as a punishment from God. The Mycobacterium that destroyed their skin and nerves was taken care of as soon as they came to this hospital," Handoko said.
Seven of the 53 hectares of the hospital complex has been illegally occupied by about 1,000 ex-patients and their families, becoming a small village. This community, called Bulak, began to form in 1951.