Discover stories from Muzaffarpur
Meet some of the staff and patients at Muzaffarpur, and see behind the scenes of what life is like at the hospital...
Anju
Anju is the manager at Muzaffarpur Hospital. She knows what it's like to live with leprosy, and now she's standing up for her patients and people with disabilities...
Reshmi
Reshmi found healing and a new chance for happiness after coming to Muzaffarpur...
Dr Pankaj
Dr Pankaj is the Superintendent at Muzaffarpur Hospital, and he's a man on a mission...
Meet Anju
Leprosy has shaped so much of Anju’s life.
She was diagnosed with the disease at just 14 years old. When she should have been looking towards her future and enjoying the same independence as her friends, she was gripped by depression. Her fingers were starting to bend inwards. She needed her family’s help to do even the simplest tasks.
Thankfully, Anju got the cure for leprosy. A doctor from The Leprosy Mission India later performed reconstructive surgery to restore the mobility in her fingers. “It changed my life!”, she says.
That wasn’t the end of Anju’s story, though...
Now, she’s working at The Leprosy Mission India herself, as the Senior Manager at Muzaffarpur Hospital.
Administration, finance, and maintenance all fall under her watchful eye. The hospital simply could not run without her.
Anju is determined to see a new outpatients department at Muzaffarpur become a reality.
"The waiting room is completely congested”, Anju says. "Patients queue outside for three to four hours, and sometimes even longer. They can be elderly or have ulcers on their feet, so the wait is uncomfortable.
"The consultation rooms are also small, and the pharmacy is very crowded. It’s not good.
"A new OPD is exactly what our patients need. If we can get one, I will feel very proud and uplifted."
Meet Reshmi
When Reshmi’s hands started clawing and an ulcer developed on her foot, she knew she needed to see a doctor.
The government hospital close to her home could not help. Instead, the doctor told her about the Leprosy Mission’s hospital in Muzaffarpur. There, she would be able to get treatment, they said.
The day Reshmi arrived at Muzaffarpur, there was a long queue inching slowly forward. There are always long queues - people come for miles around to get treatment here.
Minutes turned into hours. Reshmi had left everyone she knew to come here. She couldn’t let it be for nothing. She would stay until she saw a doctor.
Finally, she got the diagnosis she was dreading. Leprosy. But along with the sadness came the cure, and a chance to heal.
“I ended up staying at the hospital for a year while my ulcers were treated”, she said. “I was cared for so nicely by the doctors and nurses”.
After she had recovered fully, she returned home. What should have been a joyful reunion was sadly anything but.
Her husband and family rejected her, all because of a curable disease. Reshmi and her child had nowhere to go in her home village.
Reshmi now lives in a leprosy community closer to Muzaffarpur. She still feels the effects of the disease, but the staff at Muzaffarpur have helped her care for herself.
“I have a new ulcer on my foot, but I treat it all myself”, she says.
“I even treat other people here! I help bring back movement and relieve the pain they are feeling."
Meet Dr Pankaj
Dr Pankaj is the Superintendent of Muzaffarpur Hospital.
He works with Anju, the hospital Administrator, to supervise hospital administration, and he oversees the clinical work. Alongside this, he can sometimes see up to 200 patients a day! Dr Pankaj really does give his all to people affected by leprosy.
Patients come to Muzaffarpur not only needing medical care, but emotional support too. “It breaks my heart that there are so many needs”, Dr Pankaj says.
There aren’t enough seats in the waiting room for all hundreds of patients that arrive each day. The consultation rooms are old and no longer fit for purpose. Patients come to Muzaffarpur from miles around. Can you imagine travelling for hours, to only have to stand in the sun or rain while you wait to see a doctor?
Dr Pankaj is determined to change this.
Muzaffarpur Hospital is old and crumbing. The buildings desperately need to be replaced.
Muzaffarpur Hospital is old and crumbing. The buildings desperately need to be replaced.
The medical team at Muzaffarpur see hundreds of patients every day.
The medical team at Muzaffarpur see hundreds of patients every day.
The facilities at Muzaffarpur desperately need an upgrade to cope with the number of patients that need care.
The facilities at Muzaffarpur desperately need an upgrade to cope with the number of patients that need care.
Dr Pankaj's love for people affected by leprosy shines brightly.
It's motivated him throughout his time at Muzaffarpur, and now it’s driving him to rebuild the Outpatient Department.
“My dream for the hospital is to see it develop for patients.”, Dr Pankaj says. “We will love and care for the people here, so we can fulfil the purpose in our lives”.
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