
The Leprosy Mission Myanmar offers medical services to persons affected by leprosy and persons with disability through Disability Resource Centres and through a leprosy hospital that we support through our partners.
Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital
Established in 1894 following a visit by The Leprosy Mission’s founder Wellesley Bailey, Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital is currently the only place in Myanmar where people can get leprosy treatment and the only place in the country where reconstructive surgery and pioneering ulcer treatments take place. The current political situation in Myanmar means that government health centres and hospitals are currently not operating and so the services provided at Mawlamyine are even more vital than ever before.
The services that our partners at the Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital offer are world-class and we are very grateful to support this and to refer patients there for treatment. The hospital is based in the south-eastern part of Myanmar and one of our goals for the years ahead is to find ways to bring medical services closer to the communities that need them. One way of doing this is through our Disability Resource Centres.
Disability Resource Centres
These Disability Resource Centres have recently been transformed into Orthopaedic and Disability Rehabilitation Workshops in three locations (Taungoo, Sittwe and Pakokku) where infrastructure developments are currently underway to meet the increasing need for rehabilitation services arising from the conflicts in the country.
The infrastructure developments include the construction of four-story dormitory building in Taungoo and the expansion of the rented residential property to accommodate a prosthetic workshop in Sittwe. Plans have been developed to construct five-storey workshop building in Pakokku in 2024, to serve conflict affected populations from the north-western part of Myanmar.
These Disability Resource Centres are designed to meet the disability needs of local populations, including persons affected by leprosy. They provide assistive devices and prosthetics so that individuals can live full lives in their communities.
Community-based leprosy services
The Leprosy Mission Myanmar is developing mobile medical and surgical teams that will be led by four doctors with extensive leprosy experience. These teams will travel into communities to treat leprosy and bring services closer to those who need it. The Disability Resource Centres will be among those places that will host the mobile medical teams.