In mid-October, we set out to The Leprosy Mission Hospital near Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. The team was made up of four people, two architects and two engineers. After a short plane flight from Delhi to Lucknow and a three-hour car ride on the chaotic roads of India, we arrived on Sunday, October 10th in the evening. The team got a good night’s rest to prepare for the project work to begin the next day. On Monday morning, we joined a meeting with the hospital staff, which they have every morning. They were very welcoming and excited to see us. They are very passionate about the future of The Leprosy Mission Hospital. We were welcomed with phoolo ki mala, or garland of flowers, and a handshake, which showed that we were honoured guests. As an expatriate, this is not the typical welcome I am used to receiving. It was great to see more Indian culture as we got away from Delhi and the city life for this project trip. Next, we toured the campus with some of the staff.
As we toured the campus, we learned about what The Leprosy Mission does for their community. They continue to treat leprosy patients as well as dermatology, general medicine, general surgery, physiotherapy, reconstructive surgery, and counselling therapy. They also have homes for the elderly, a vocational training centre, and do many community outreach programs. While they started as a leprosy hospital, they are starting and looking to expand the hospital’s capabilities to serve their community better. For the next day and a half, we looked at the current site of The Leprosy Mission Hospital and listened to the hospital staff about how they wanted to expand their capabilities. The Leprosy Mission Hospital has been blessed with a very large campus, which allows them to expand to fit their wants and needs. Our scope of work was figuring out their ideas and hopes for the future and giving a bit more structure to move forward with a plan. As part of this feasibility study, we surveyed the area immediately surrounding the existing hospital. We also met with the hospital staff to get an idea of what order the future ideas should be accomplished in.
It was great to see the staff that was so passionate about their work and serving their community. The hospital staff read their mission statement every morning. This is a good reminder to the staff about what they are doing and why they are doing it. It was amazing to see The Leprosy Mission Hospital’s impact on the community. We observed people with leprosy living together and having community with others.
As an engineering intern, I was participating as part of the survey team. While there were only two of us on our team doing the survey, the staff was more than happy to help us in any way they could. They enjoyed and were excited to help us by holding the rod while we took survey shots and notes. It was a great reminder of the serving heart of the staff at The Leprosy Mission Hospital. During our short visit, we needed to complete a survey of the campus. Since the campus was so large, we decided to only survey the area nearest to the existing hospital, because that area will be used for the expansion of the hospital. The Leprosy Mission Hospital’s existing campus is very large and widespread. It is a very beautiful campus and has so much potential for expansion into the future. I am excited to see what these passionate people and The Leprosy Mission Hospital have in store for their community in the coming years.
Engineer Intern, EMI India