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MOUNT ROSARY HEALTH PROJECT Mount Rosary Tuberculosis Sanatorium and Its History: Mount Rosary Tuberculosis Sanatorium and its history: Very Rev. Msgr. Francis Elias D'Souza, a holy diocesan Priest of Mangalore, founded Mount Rosary Tuberculosis Sanatorium on June 27, 1937. Though Mount Rosary was first called Tuberculosis sanatorium, later on it was named Mount Rosary Charitable Institutions. The change of the name came, because of the new services added at Mount Rosary, besides treatment of tuberculosis disease. The services added were, a home for the aged, dying and a home for the destitute. The Mount Rosary tuberculosis sanatorium began with a 50 bedded health service, both for men and women, irrespective of caste and creed. Tuberculosis disease was very rampant in the eastern side of the diocese of Mangalore. Small farmers and agriculture labour families, scheduled caste people and Harijans and Koragars, lived in the villages of Moodbidri and Belthangady and Karkal areas. Tuberculosis patients also from the Ghats, came to Mount Rosary Tuberculosis Sanatorium for treatment. Tuberculosis Patients:
The cause of this tuberculosis disease in these areas was both because of
malnutrition and alcoholism of people. The labour class found only
seasonal work. Their earning was not enough to take care of their large
families or extended families. Lack of nutrition was the main cause of
T.B. disease in the labourers, who were infected with the tuberculosis germ,
and they gave the contagion to the other members of the family.
Family worries led the earning members to drink excessively and this precipitated
both the cause and the spread of the disease.
Mount Rosary Hospital at Alangar: Not only tuberculosis patients came for health services to Mount Rosary
T.B. Sanatorium, but sick people of various other tropical diseases began to
arrive at Mount Rosary. For poor people, there was no other easy and
available health facility in the area and therefore Hindus, Muslims, and
Christians, came for health assistance, health check up and medicines
to Mount Rosary. The third Director of Mount Rosary Charitable Institutions,
Rev. Fr. Jose Menezes, therefore, constructed Mount Rosary Hospital, in the
village of Alangar, near the Parish church, which is around three furlongs
away from Mount Rosary campus.
The services at Mount Rosary hospital available for tropical diseases were
like, Upper respiratory tract infection, injury, viral fever, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, headache, diabetic mellitus,
pyroderma, pulmonary tuberculosis, acute bronchitis, anaemia,
We have a good staff taking care of Mount Rosary hospital. The present Medical Officer is Dr. Glen a trained doctor from St. John's Bangalore. We secured the services of this doctor after our prayers with Mother Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, because very few doctors are ready to work in the villages especially to care for the sick people among the poorest. The poor sick people are not able to pay the doctor's charges and medicine charges and therefore a doctor with motivation of economic gains only, is not attracted to serve in the village hospitals. We are also thinking to train one of our own sister as a medical doctor in the near future, when we have a suitable candidate to do these studies. But we have already trained nurses, radiologist, lab technicians, from among our own sisters, Helpers of Mount Rosary. We intend training more of these sisters for the future as and when we get suitable religious vocations and aptitudes for medical studies. Data regarding the Medical treatment given at Mount Rosary hospital: We have records of medical services given from Mount Rosary hospital. We give you a brief picture of the same. We give here below the important data of medical treatment given this year 2003, from the month of January to June Number of patients treated from January to June 2003:
Type of diseases treated and number of cases from January to June 2003:
Cost of medicines bought for treatment and dispensed to patients from January to June 2003:
Hence, an amount of Rs.12,544/- has been used by Mount Rosary hospital for the poor sick patients from villages, who have not been able to pay the medicine bills in the six months period. Besides our charges are very minimal in the diagnostic department of the hospital, either in the laboratory examination, or in the X-ray department or in the dressing section. The amount we have collected in the diagnostic department for the last six months has been Rs.6048/- for 1118 patients treated. Salaries for medical staff for six months from January to June 2003: We also give you the data regarding the salaries of our staff, the electricity bills, telephone bills, labour work charges, and maintenance charges. Hence a total amount of Rs. 1,58,955.00 had to be provided by Mount Rosary Charitable Institutions to sustain the medical service work at Mount Rosary hospital for a period of six months. This expenditure has been very necessary, not only to give medical assistance to the poorest of the poor coming from the villages to our hospital but also in the treatment of tuberculosis disease, which has become a disease very much prevalent among the poorest of the poor. This disease has usually struck the earning member of the family, either the father or the mother, chiefly the father. So, saving the life of the father or the mother has been our important focus, because by this service, we have saved the family and the children from destitution.
Treatment of Tuberculosis Patients: When Mount Rosary T.B. sanatorium was started in the year 1937, there were no good and effective drugs to treat the disease quickly and efficiently. But presently, because of medical advance, there are very effective medicines. Because of this, tuberculosis is not a dreaded disease, and special isolation ward for T.B. patients is not very necessary now; Patients, even staying at home, can be successfully treated, of course educating the other members of the family, in taking proper care and prevention is necessary. We give here below the data of treatment and the cost involved, in treating a tuberculosis patient, for a period of nine months. The total cost of treating one tuberculosis patient is Rs. 4285/- which does not include the cost of food, but only the cost of medicines, drugs, and laboratory tests.
Medical extension work done by our sisters, Helpers of Mount Rosary:
In these group meetings, topics on health issues of various tropical diseases and tuberculosis are also discussed. Betterment of children and the mother and the family, get the needed priority. Through these processes of village work, sisters, Helpers of Mount Rosary, have been able to promote better health among people and it has also promoted values of cooperation, of working together, respecting each other, and even sharing among the needy. Conclusion: As much as possible, Mount Rosary hospital avoids giving free medicines. Medicines given free don't become effective. When at least the cost price is given, the village people learn to appreciate and understand the value of health. But we are unable to raise resources for the doctors salary, for the staff salary, and the maintenance of sisters and hospital infrastructures for which we need every month an amount of Rs. 26,550.00 and therefore for a year it totals to Rs. 3,18,600/-
We pray to Mother Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, to take care of these
services thanks to the good will and goodness of our people.
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Mount Rosary Tuberculosis Sanatorium was full of T.B. patients and the
disease was considered, a dreaded disease. There were no effective
antibiotics, in the early 30's or 40's or 50's of the last
century. Hence only the unstinted service of Msgr. Francis Elias D'Souza and
a few other volunteers, soothed and cared for the T.B. patients,
and it was effective and many patients were cured with the medicines available at that
time but Mount Rosary relied more on the devotion to our Lady, Queen of
the Holy Rosary. Everyday three Rosaries were recited along with the sick
people at Mount Rosary T.B. Sanatorium, before the Blessed Sacrament and it
is more, Jesus and Mary, who cured the patients. There were hardly any
mortalities, as the records tell us.
Tuberculosis disease is both positive and negative. When the disease is
positive, a patient can communicate the T.B. bacteria to a healthy person,
through his sputum or through the utensils he uses and the air he breathes.
Therefore utmost care needs to be taken by medical persons who take care of
the T.B. patients. With modern drugs, the positive patients can become
negative with a course of 15 days or a month. A negative T.B. patient is
one, who has the Tuberculosis bacteria but he does not communicate his
disease, and he has to continue treatment for six to nine to twelve months,
or even more, depending on the person who has been sick and how much his lungs have been
affected.
lumber back pain, osteo-arthritis, fungal infection, gastritis, rheumatic
heart disease, neuritis, epilepsy, anxiety, diarrhoea, cellulites etc. Even
maternity cases from among the poorest came to Mount Rosary hospital.
Therefore, Mount Rosary hospital became not only a health center for
out-patients, but also when necessary, in-patient care was also given. We
have 10 beds for this care when necessary.
Medical health presently has three main aspects of service.
Curative aspect, which consists in diagnosing the disease and providing
curative treatment.
Preventive aspect. This consists of educating village people, the cause of
the various diseases and motivating them to use their knowledge gained and
take necessary actions and implement activities individually or in the home
or in the community environment, so that the causes of the diseases, are
prevented; and
Promotion aspect. This consists of educating village people in better
nutrition, in creating a healthy environment, working for better sanitation,
and working for healthy potable water.
Six sisters of ours are trained in short courses in village community work.
These sisters in batches, visit village families on a regular basis. They
have learned the skills to listen to people, to what the village people have
to say, even learn from them, and build relationship and friendship with
them, so that the village people could come together. When the village
groups or families come together, a hope is built in them, that when they
come together they can solve their problems and come out of their
backwardness by working together. In the group meetings, the causes of their
backwardness are identified and through the help of resource persons,
knowledge and education is given, to solve their problems, and they are
encouraged through group decision to plan activities, to solve and have
their needs fulfilled. Often times the success of one group creates
reassurance not only in one's own group but it gives light and inspiration
to other similar groups that they also can achieve success and improve their
quality of life by coming together, by group education and by group
activity.
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