St. Johns Leprosy and HIV Care Services
Encyclopedia
St. Johns Leprosy and HIV Care Services is a charitable undertaking of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

 of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...

.

In the early 1960’s there was a leprosy clinic at Koppam run by the CSI church. The program of the clinic was carried out by Miss Dunn from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. In the beginning of 1963 Miss Dunn was looking for some agency to carry out the work and she met late Arch Bishop Benedict Mar Gregorios
Benedict Mar Gregorios
Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church....

. He agreed to carry out this noble work. That was the beginning of St.John’s Health services, Pirappencode. Fr.Lawrence J. Thottam (later Lawrence Mar Epraem) joined the Health Services as the first Director of St.John’s Health Services in 1963. Sisters of Imitation of Christ (Bethany Madhom
Bethany Madhom
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ - or Bethany Madhom is a congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Bethany Madhom was founded by the Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios in 1925 in the Malankara Orthodox Church...

) and Little Sisters of Jesus
Little Sisters of Jesus
The Little Sisters of Jesus are a Roman Catholic community of religious sisters inspired by the life and writings of Charles de Foucauld, founded by Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus .-Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus 1898 - 1989:...

 took up the Community Services of the centre. St.John’s Hospital was formally inaugurated on 15 February 1964 by Health Minister Mr. Willington and Late Arch Bishop Benedict Mar Gregorios
Benedict Mar Gregorios
Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church....

 . In 1999 the Leprosy &TB control program was launched at Trivandrum city Corporation under the leadership of this Hospital. On 5 July 2007Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

State AIDS Control Society recognized St.John’s Health centre as Community Care centre for HIV/AIDS.

At present the hospital is giving shelter for 50 leprosy patients. In the rehabilitation centre some 20 HIV/Aids patients are getting care and treatment. Fr. Jose Kizhakkedath is the current director of St. John’s Health Services.
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