ABOUT US

St.Joseph Hospital Dindigul known as Kattaspathri is a charitable mission Hospital registered under the “The Council of ICM Hospitals” managed by ICM Sisters. It is 200 bedded multi specialty Hospital serving the sick and the suffering in and around Dindigul for the past 60 years.

Our journey began on 21st November 1956. A dispensary on a very modest scale was pioneered by our Belgian Sisters Simonne Boeve(nurse) and Simonne Boddez serving the poor in Dindigul. ICM Congregation then sent a full-fledged team of doctors and nurses to strengthen and expand the medical service. Dr. Sr. Agnes Ampe M.D, Dr. Sr. Franciscus Waelkens M.D and Sr. Martha Pleysier (nurse) and Sr. Maria Vandervennet(nurse) arrived and joined the sisters to continue their service through mobile clinics and gradually under the leadership of Sr. Franciscus Waelkens M.D a 200 hundred bedded general Hospital was built up.

Encountering many Leprosy Patients Dr. Sr. Agnes Ampe M.D, began the project for Lepers in the year 1958. With the help of Damien Foundation and the dedicated team we were able to eradicate Leprosy in Dindigul District and we continue to care for the stigmatized families and support them through the care for the cure programme. The team continues to be vigilant in identifying the positive cases. Net working with the Govt. through RNTCP we care for the people affected with TB. For both these categories of patients treatment is given free of cost. Alongside, more than 200 patients are treated freely and among them many are visually challenged.

Caring for the rural poor regarding maternal and child health was one of the concerns of the pioneers. Sr. Edward began this project in the 1960’s and we continue this through our Mini Health centres.

Sisters felt the need for training local people to give efficient Nursing care in the hospital. To achieve this dream in 1965 ‘Our Lady School of Nursing’ was established for women with an intake of 20 students each year. In 51 years, we have trained around 1000 students who are serving today in different parts of the country and the world.
After 1975 with the passing away of Dr.Sr.Franciscus and the ageing of other Belgian sisters we relied much on Doctors from outside who continued with the same Spirit and quality care for our patients. After the Golden Jubilee of our Hospital in 2007 the congregation has decided to further develop the hospital. We wanted to go more in the prevention and early detection of cancer and other life style diseases.10 Nurses have been trained in Palliative care and also attended international conference of Palliative care in different places. In collaboration with Adayar Cancer Institute we trained Nurses and Lab technicians and Doctors for cancer care. So far we have conducted camps for cancer, Diabetes bone density camps. More than five lakhs population so far have benefited from our camps. Today we also provide home based palliative care.

The Charism of the Foundress of our ICM Congregation, Mother Marie Louise De Meester, guides every move in the direction of compassionate person centered care. In collaboration with dedicated team of Sisters, Doctors, Para medicals and other collaborators we uphold life with quality care to everyone without any discrimination. Keeping to the original vision of ‘serving the poor and reaching the unreached’ we continue to strive today to make a difference in health care by the way we uphold life with care.