The Iambi Leprosarium was visited by ND Fraser, on his 1961 tour.

'From Tabora I took the train to Itigi where Dr. S. Moris of American Lutheran Mission, kindly met me and motored me to the Iambi Lerprosarium. This new venture has been established on 5,000 acres of high-flying land, falling away on one side to the site of the new reservoir and on the other to land reclaimed from the bush.

In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Moris, the staff consists of Mr. Renner, Administrative Superintendent who is bringing more and more land under cultivation. Str. V. Hult, Str. Lois Bernhardson who has had training in laboratory work and Miss Ois Heidel, an Occupational Therapist with Physiotherapy training.

Four-hundred and forty patients have been admitted. There are excellent wards for 35 male patients with accommodation for 45 more in "weak" lines (i.e. the hospital annexe). Eight out-patient clinics have been developed by the Mission. Many patients attend Government rural health clinics.

The need for a woman's ward is recognised, as well as accommodation for healthy children, and nearby for their mothers while they are nursing them.

The majority of patients live in wattle and mud huts built by themselves and sited near the cultivated land, one and one-third acres of which is allocated to each patient who is fit to work it.

Disabled patients are helped in preparing their ground for growing crops.'

Source: ND Fraser, "A review of leprosy work in Ethiopia, Uganda, N. Rhodesia and Tanganyika", Lep Rev, 33.2 (1962): 141-153; on pp. 148-9.

The following much more recent first-hand account, by Bill Martin, is quoted from The Messiah Monthly Messenger, July 2005, p.8. [NB The ILA Global Project on the History of Leprosy is not responsible for the content of external websites.]

'Iambi Lutheran Hospital, started in 1958, is part of the Central Diocese of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania mission to provide health care of the people of central Tanzania. 

The early hospital was a Leprosarium for treatment of leprosy patients in Singida Region.  The original financing for the activities came from the American Leprosy Mission, Augustana Lutheran Mission, and British Empire Leprosy Relief Association.

In 1978, the Iambi Integrated Hospital began to integrate general hospital services for the area residents with the short and long term treatment of leprosy patients. German Lutheran Medical Mission in 1989 constructed several new buildings on compound.

The central Hospital campus consists of 14 hospital buildings, containing ward, treatment centers, offices, and storeroom, connected by covered cement walkways.   In addition to the main service area, the entire compound that originally was 5,000 acre but now is about 350 acres with 40 staff, missionary and volunteer housing units, maintenance and farm buildings, water pumping stations and a three acre man-made lake.' 

This entry was created 19 September 2006.