Meet Rajisha

Rajisha will never forget the moment she discovered she had leprosy. When the doctor gave her the diagnosis, she felt her world become enveloped in darkness.

Rajisha started the antibiotics to cure the disease. But the damage to her nerves had already been done. Her fingers became so clawed that she couldn’t feed herself. She needed reconstructive surgery to regain her mobility.

But her doctor gave her hope. There was a place where she could get the treatment she needed: Muzaffarpur Hospital.

Reaching the hospital wasn’t easy though. Rajisha had to travel over 100km without her parents. Her mother was too unwell to travel, and her father couldn’t afford to take time off work. Just when she needed her family the most, she was all alone.

When she finally reached Muzaffarpur hospital, she stood anxiously outside the crumbling OPD department for hours. There was nowhere to sit inside. The heat was oppressive. The wait was almost unbearable. Rajisha was exhausted.

Eventually, Rajisha saw a doctor who admitted her to the hospital. She got the reconstructive surgery she needed to straighten her fingers. This time, she didn’t go through it alone. She found friends to encourage her as she recovered, and the nurses were always on hand to reassure her.

If it weren't for Muzaffarpur Hospital, Rajisha would be facing a very different future.

From this incredible hospital, the love of Jesus shines out for miles around. People affected by leprosy are not the last and the least here. They are seen, welcomed, and accepted. The medical care they so urgently need is given freely.

The tireless staff at Muzaffarpur see up to 600 outpatients each day. Like Rajisha, many will have travelled long distances to get treatment. The doctors and nurses never turn anyone away.

But the hospital is old and crumbling. The building regularly floods, and it isn’t fit for purpose. The Outpatient Department must be rebuilt, so people affected by leprosy can continue to get the best possible care.

Without Muzaffarpur, people like Rajisha would have nowhere else to go.

The team at Muzaffarpur desperately need a new Outpatient Department.