ABOUT THE HOSPITAL
TLM Purulia Hospital was established in the year 1888.
It all started with Rev. Henry Uffman, a German missionary, and pastor of the local Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Purulia, West Bengal, in 1888. Seeing the suffering of persons affected by leprosy thrown out of their houses because of the fear and stigma associated with the disease, Rev. Uffman built thatched huts at the southern part of Bhatbandh Christian Burial ground (afterwards it was shifted to the present place) to provide them care and shelter. The Mission to Lepers (now, The Leprosy Mission Trust India) was associated with Rev. Uffman’s work from the very beginning.
The hospital always kept pace with the latest developments in leprosy care. In the 1950s Dr Paul Brand pioneered reconstructive surgery for leprosy patients, and in 1954, doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists of the hospital were trained in reconstructive surgery. From its humble beginnings, the hospital has grown into a specialist leprosy hospital cum community hospital catering to leprosy patients and general patients in rural West Bengal.
The facilities provided by the hospital include out-patient facilities, in-patient facilities, operating theatre, laboratory services, ECG services, X-ray services, counselling, physiotherapy, pharmacy, MCR protective footwear and artificial limbs.