Initially founded in 1956/7 as a small TB settlement. A new leprosarium was officially opened in 1963. It was later converted to a first level hospital.

The following description is quoted from LH Gann, "The opening of Liteta leprosarium", Cent Afr J Med, 5358 (Jul, 1963): 286-8.

'The Federal Prime Minister, Sir Roy Welensky, officially declared open the new Liteta Leprosarium in Northern Rhodesia on 20th April, 1963. Amongst the distinguished gathering were the Hon. Mr. B. D. Goldberg, Minister for Health, and Mr. L. E. Luyt, Chief Secretary of Northern Rhodesia. The proceedings opened promptly at 10 a.m. with the beating of a large drum, the usual signal for the patients to assemble for treatment. Dr. P. Glyn Griffiths, M.C., M.R.C.P., F.R.F.P.S., the medical superintendent of Liteta Leprosarium, introduced Sir Roy and spoke of the enormous and gratifying changes at the leprosarium since his arrival there just over a year previously. He said:

"It is to-day just three days over a year since I arrived here to take up my post as leprologist to Northern Rhodesia and as medical superintendent to this leprosarium.

What enormous and gratifying changes have occurred in that time.

When I started work here the only clinical facilities consisted of one small room, shared by me with the long-suffering leprosy superintendent. In this room, where we did not even have running water to wash between examinations of patients, all the clinical and administrative work of this large unit had to be done.

At that time the patients were housed in mud and wattle houses in the leprosy village; there was no water supply there, and they had to walk half a mile for water, carrrying it in tins on their heads. Now they have airy, well-constructed houses, each with its own verandah and with adequate water supply, showers and kitchen blocks near to their new homes.

Those unfortunate patients who have had to be kept in wards owing to gross disability (there were then about 60 such patients) were all together in small houses, some of the patients having to be nursed on the floor due to lack of bed space. Now they have bright, airy, modern wards with no overcrowding.

A year ago no laboratory work, so vital in leprosy work, could be done at all. Now we have a very well-equipped laboratory with a trained laboratory technicial. We even run our own central syringe service.

There was no accommodation for physiotherapy, which had to be done out of doors; now our new operating theatre is used temporarily for this purpose.

The school for our 60-odd children suffering from leprosy had at first to be held outdoors, then in a dining room, but now we have a new school building conforming to the Education Department's designs.

It is then, you will readily imagine, a great joy to me and to all the staff to see these wonderful new buildings completed, giving us so much greater opportunity to serve our patients.

From my visits to other settlements for leprosy in Northern Rhodesia (and I have been to 29 out of the 30) it gives me much pleasure to say that in my opinion this is now much the best-equipped as well as the largest leprosarium in Northern Rhodesia, comparable only to Chikankata, itself a model institution.

And now I would like to pay tribute to the work done over the past four years under the old very difficult conditions. This work was organised by the leprosy superintendent, Mr. L. W. Corbridge (who has been working in leprosy for 20 years) and his right-hand man, Mr. Aristone Tembo (who has been at Liteta since it first opened as a small tuberculosis settlement six years ago). This remarkable team has already build up an air of hope, confidence and and mutual trust amongst patients and staff before any buildings had been provided specifically for the leprosy work. Despite many frustrations, and by dint of much improvisation, Mr. Corbridge, with unfailing enthusiasm, had 300 leprosy patients under treatment here before the first of the new buildings was started. Without this background of devoted effort our new buildings would be a mere collection of bricks and mortar … "'

Weblinks (the ILA is not responsible for the content of external web sites):

'Liteta Hospital has only 1 doctor', The Times of Zambia, [n.d.].

Entry made 15 September, 2006.