MAKOGAI LEPERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19961, 20 November 1934, Page 5

MAKOGAI LEPERS

CHRISTMAS CHEER GREAT NURSING SERVICE It is usual at this time of the year to issue an appeal to the public for the Makogai leper station Christmas Day fund. Makogai is an island some 70 miles from Suva, Fiji, on which is located the Central Leper Hospital. This is an institution which serves the needs of Fiji, New Zealand, and certain island groups in the Pacific, namely, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Niue, Tonga, and the Cook Islands. The leper station is administered by the Fiji Government on behalf of the associated groups, which contribute to the upkeep funds on a pro rata basis, for the treatment of the leper patients. At the moment the island has some 450 leper patients, included amongst whom are six from New Zealand and about 60 from Western Samoa and Cook Islands. The leper station has the reputation of being particularly well conducted, and has been referred to by authorities competent to express the opinion as being amongst the finest in the world. Gratifying Feature One very gratifying feature of the work of the institution is the fact that an overwhelming majority of the cases show material improvement under treatment, while every year some 20 patients are discharged as cured. The nursing care of the leper patients is in the hands of the Rev. Mother and Sisters of the Society of Mary. There are twelve European Sisters and eight native Sisters. The Sisters are in charge of the hospital. With the assistance of tw’o leper dressers, they do all the dressing. During one year over 99.0000 dressings are necessary. The Sisters do the dispensing, cooking, housekeeping, and nursing. A Sister assists in the laboratory and gives anaesthetics. Besides these duties, they find time to teach the children to read and write, and the women to sew. Dr C. J. Austin, medical superintendent, writes as follows on the work of the nurses:—“lt is hardly possible to exaggerate in speaking of the tireless skill and unremitting devotion of our nursing staff. To the influence and care of the Sisters is mainly due the good behaviour, improvement in health, and contented atmosphere among the patients.” Faith and Charity "Here we see the power of faith and charity.” writes one visitor. “These patients have the strongest, as well as the strangest attraction for the Sisters who nurse them. The Sisters see in them Him, who. taking upon Himself our infirmities, has wished to be considered a leper. A Sister wrote lately, ‘Even if it were only to have once dressed the wounds of a leper. I would not regret to have come to the missions. I am the happiest of creatures in the service of the suffering members of our Lord, and that is what we all are.’ ” There are no fewer than 11 racial types under treatment, namely, European, Fijian, Indian, Solomon. Rotuman, Chinese, Cook Islands, Tongan, Samoan, Maori, and Niue. Visitors to the island cannot help being impressed with the attitude of contentment, if not of hope, about the settlement. The patients invariably speak in the highest terms of the treatment they receive and the comfort of their surroundings. Value cf Co-operation This fact should be emphasised, that this work is that of a combined effort on the part of various administrations to grapple with a very formidable disease. The chief advantage of the concentration of patients is that they are housed in almost ideal conditions on a beautiful island; and they have the advantage of a kind which would be impracticable if they were grouped in smaller communities. New Zealand is definitely interested, because the Dominion and its island dependencies have nearly a hundred patients on the island. The leper settlement has been visited frequently by representatives from New Zealand. The late Sir Maui Pomare was there on more than one occasion, and at various times medical officers of the Health Department have also gone there. The latest visitor was Dr. M. H. Watt. Director-General of Health. They have all expressed their high appreciation of the splended humanitarian work done at the leper station by the medical and nursing staff.