St Joseph’s Hospice, Rawalpindi
Encyclopedia
St Joseph’s Hospice, Rawalpindi
, is a health care facility run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary
, open to patients from all walks of life.
was a Catholic Priest and missionary in Rawalpindi. In 1962, while attending to a sick woman in a mud hut, O'Leary realized the need for a hospice. In 1964, he opened the first hospice in Rawalpindi. After receiving advice from Mother Teresa
, he obtained loans and donations to establish hospices in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and England.
The hospice treats patients with chronic illnesses and disabilities, tuberculosis, meningitis, polio and typhoid fever, etc. Children with congenital deformities and malnutrition are often abandoned to the hospice.
90 per cent of its outpatients and 60 per cent of its in-patients are Muslim.
St Joseph’s has a well functioning laboratory, provides physiotherapy treatment and has its own pharmacy. All medical services are free of charge.
The Pakistani government officially recognised this service to the community when in 2006, St Joseph’s received the Award of Excellence from President Pervez Musharraf
.
The hospice is now a teaching facility attached to the Islamabad Medical and Dental College
.
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, is a health care facility run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary
Franciscan Sisters of Mary
The Franciscan Sisters of Mary is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women based in St. Louis, Missouri that founded hospitals throughout the Midwest....
, open to patients from all walks of life.
Founder
Francis O'LearyFrancis O'Leary
Francis Aloysius O'Leary MBE was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary who founded the St Joseph's Hospice Association, an international network of hospices known as Jospice. O'Leary was awarded the membership in Order of the British Empire in 1996.-Life:Francis Aloysius O'Leary was born June 18...
was a Catholic Priest and missionary in Rawalpindi. In 1962, while attending to a sick woman in a mud hut, O'Leary realized the need for a hospice. In 1964, he opened the first hospice in Rawalpindi. After receiving advice from Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
, he obtained loans and donations to establish hospices in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and England.
Facilities
The hospital has been run for the past 30 years by the Franciscan Sisters. With 60 beds, it receives up to 300 patients a day. The staff includes 50 Pakistani nurses, aides, volunteers, doctors, and ward helpers. In 2009 Sister Mairead Walsh, a nun from Dublin, ran the hospice.The hospice treats patients with chronic illnesses and disabilities, tuberculosis, meningitis, polio and typhoid fever, etc. Children with congenital deformities and malnutrition are often abandoned to the hospice.
90 per cent of its outpatients and 60 per cent of its in-patients are Muslim.
St Joseph’s has a well functioning laboratory, provides physiotherapy treatment and has its own pharmacy. All medical services are free of charge.
The Pakistani government officially recognised this service to the community when in 2006, St Joseph’s received the Award of Excellence from President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
.
The hospice is now a teaching facility attached to the Islamabad Medical and Dental College
Islamabad Medical and Dental College
Islamabad Medical and Dental College , established in 2007, is a highly selective private school of medicine and dentistry located in Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan. It has a campus spread over at the foothills of the Margalla hills...
.