St. Joseph's Hospice is a Shelter for Helpless People.

Introduction

For almost 50 years, St. Joseph’s Hospice has been giving new hope and a new life to children and adults with no other options. St. Joseph’s Hospice has provided free quality medical care and medicines, caring and skilled nurses, rehabilitation and physical therapy, and a healthy diet, in a clean, park like setting--to the stroke victim who can’t function, the mother who is paralyzed from an accident or the burned child needing specialized care during reconstructive surgery. Our out-patient clinic serves an average of 100 patients a day at a token fee.

Who we are

St. Joseph’s Hospice is a non-profit organization, chartered by the Pakistan government and run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). Founded in the 1960s, we have grown into a 60 bed residential facility plus outpatient clinic. St. Joseph’s Hospice is certified by the Islamabad Medical and Dental College as a teaching facility.

History of St. Joseph’s Hospice

The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) lead this small, dedicated and close knit community which continues the inspiration of Father O'Leary, a Catholic priest and missionary. In 1962, Fr. O’Leary realized the need for a hospice when he attended a dying woman near the railway track. By 1964 he and FMM Sister Dolores, from Spain, had established our pioneering Rawalpindi home and registered it as a non-profit organization under the Pakistan Donor Welfare Agencies Ordinance.

The main building, built in 1964 on Church land, was fully funded by MISEREOR, the German Catholic Bishops’ Organisation for Development Cooperation. The separate convent building was originally a community hall for the Irish Fusilers who used the church. In the 1970s the nursery block was built to care for children abandoned to the Hospice. More recent construction has included converting an existing dorm room to house school age boys.

Our work

St. Joseph’s residential section provides free medical care and rehabilitation services to destitute handicapped and ill children, teens and adults with a variety of physical disabilities and conditions. The out-patient department, which averages 100 patients a day, provides clinic services and medicines to neighborhood families for a token fee.

What we do

St. Josephs provides free care, treatment, rehabilitation and security for our destitute residential patients. Handicapped by various forms of disabling paralysis, chronically ill, or suffering from senile dementia, they are often rejected by their families and refused by other hospitals. At St. Joseph’s they become a community and support and encourage each other. The children receive an education, and the able adults can be taught skills to earn extra money. In this supportive new life they discover hope.

With its own doctors, laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy, x-ray, and other treatment support facilities, St. Joseph’s is self-contained for most basic needs.

Leadership & staff

Our dedicated Sisters and staff work tirelessly to provide compassionate care and efficient administrative services. The volunteer Committee of Management gives support on financial and administrative matters, and helps raise funds and awareness. All together these people are the loving heart of St. Joseph’s Hospice.

Thanks to the talents, faith and ingenuity of our dedicated staff, highly capable Committee of Management and volunteers, we are able to fulfill our aim of providing free medical care to the destitute.

Staff Fills Diverse Needs

The overall day-to-day responsibility for St. Joseph’s Hospice is in the hands of the Franciscan Nuns of Mary with Sr. Margaret Walsh as Chief Administrator. Other Sisters have responsibility for physiotherapy, pharmacy, the out-patient department, and supervision of the support services staff.

It takes good people with a range of talents and skills to care for our patients and their diverse needs and conditions. Our medical team includes two doctors, two staff nurses, 22 male and female nursing aides, two physiotherapists, and laboratory workers. The support services staff consists of 25 employees who handle the office, food service, laundry, grounds and maintenance, tutoring, and other necessary positions. The total staff positions required to support our efforts exceed 80.

In-house Training

In a country where trained medical help is almost non-existent it becomes critically essential to train new staff members or upgrade skills through in-house training, This training for our nurse aides and volunteer staff is a valuable part of the busy working week. St. Joseph’s has a special classroom dedicated to this training and volunteer trainers who offer staff training on a regular basis.

Volunteers and Committee of Management

Our wonderful, kind hearted volunteers serve in many capacities--working with patients on such projects as knitting and tutoring to training the nursing staff. Their generous gift of love and time provides strength and enriches the lives of the patients immeasurably.

And finally, our volunteer Committee of Management provides administrative guidance, fundraising expertise, and variety of other functions. The Committee consists of nine members.

Our facilities

Situated in a quiet garden setting, St. Joseph’s has 60 beds with wards for children, women and men, a fully equipped lab, x-ray department, pharmacy and professionally run physical therapy department. The complex also contains the outpatient clinic, and classrooms for staff training and children unable to attend school. The kitchen serves 6000 meals a month. More