CANOSSA HOSPITAL PRATAPGARH

       Canossa Hospital is situated at Dhahilamau village in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. Partapgarh is one of the oldest districts of Uttar Pradesh that came into existence in the year 1858. Of the country's 250 most backward districts, it is one of them.

        According to the 2011 census, Pratapgarh district has a population of 3,209,141, The district has a population density of 854 inhabitants per square kilometre. It’s population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.2%. Pratapgarh has a sex ratio of 994 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.1%. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 96.82% of the population in the district spoke Hindi and 3.14% Urdu as their first language.

        Canossa Hospital generally known as ‘Mother Hospital’ was born out of a compelling need of alleviating the sufferings of sick people of the locality who were helpless and poor. It is named after St. Magdalene of Canossa (1774-1835), the Foundress of the Institutes of ‘Canossian Daughters of Charity’ and ‘Canossian Sons of Charity’. She was a marchioness from Verona – Italy. It was out of profound love for God and a great sensitivity to the suffering people, Magdalene left the Canossa palace forever to educate the street children and assist and comfort the sick in the hospital. Love of God and love of neighbour was the solefoundation on which Magdalene of Canossa built her whole life. It follows that the care of the sick, helping the suffering brothers and sisters, could not be missing as she had a natural grace to instruct, comfort and assist the sick in the hospital and at home. Following the Spirit and Charism of St. Magdalene of Canossa, the Canossian sisters in Partapgarh started a small Health Center and Mobile Clinic in 1938 under the guidance of M.Rosetta Vigano who was a doctor. She treated them with simple home remedies coupled with love and grace of God which cured them. M. Ferrario who assisted her, once observed that ‘the people would come to the sistersrather than go to the doctors or to the government hospitals. Each day the number of patients kept increasing. Early morning even before the sisters had finished their morning prayers, people would be there in the convent premises for medicine and the influx would continue till late evening’.

        The mustard seed of the present hospital had been sown at the very outset. It was started by our Italian missionary sisters. They cared for the patients day and night with so much love and dedication, that the people lovingly called them as Mothers; so eventually the hospital came to be known as ‘Mother Hospital’. People havegreat regard and respect, confidence and trust in the Canossian sisters (Mothers). The tireless work of the Canossian sisters yielded it’s fruit as the Health Center was soon raised to the status of a Hospital in 1958.At that time, the Canossa hospital was the first hospital in the area where no other nursing home or private hospital was present.

        Today it is a 70 bed hospital with four doctors,21 staff- GNM, ANM, Nursing aids, Lab assistants, office staff and 19 supportive staff. Doctors Quarters and Nurses hostel too are available in the campus. The hospital has mainly obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatric patients; there are many who come with infertility cases too. The hospital provides extended service to reach out to those areas where no medical facilities are available through mobile clinic once a week.The hospital is administered by the society of ‘Canossians Hospital Partapgarh’. It belongs to Queen of Peace Province, North India which has 20 communities (establishments) spread out in six states of northern parts of India. The sisters of these communities are engaged in serving the society and its people with quality Education, Health Care, Women empowerment, teaching religion and moral ethics, promoting interreligious dialogue, Youth empowerment and working for social and environmental justice.