Lakka hospital is a government run TB, HIV and leprosy hospital on the outskirts of Freetown. The patients there are often abandoned by their families due to the nature of their illnesses.
The stigma associated with the diseases make the sufferers become outcasts in society. There is no state welfare system fr such poor unfortunates unless they come to this hospital which is the only such unit in the country. The staff are committed and friendly and there a feeling of community among the patients who are a mix of Muslim and Christian. The hospital is very basic, with no electricity, and very poor sanitation, everyone had a mosquito net and a bed but little else. There is no stimulus, nothing to do except sit around and wait for their one meal a day. Our brothers and sisters from Freetown Ecclesia with aid from MaD take two large bags of rice to the hospital on a regular basis.
On this occasion they bagged up some small provisions for them, soap, biscuits, dried milk and toilet roll as well as 2 bags of rice and we said prayers with them and listened whilst one Muslim patient also said a prayer.