RAWALPINDI, Dec 5: Zohra Hussain, 60, has been paralysed for the past 30 years, and has found a caring home in the form of St. Joseph’s Hospice.

However, she now faces an uncertain future as the hospice may shut down in a few months due to paucity of funds.

If this happens, she and 60 others would be left high and dry.

“I have been living in this hospice for 30 years and there is no alternate home if the centre closes down. I came from Skardu after suffering a backbone injury. My husband left me here and never came back. Now, this is my only home,” she told Dawn with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I cannot earn money otherwise I would have given my salary to the administration as donation. I wanted to go back home in Skardu but they (family) did not want me. Here, people love me and take care of me as their own,” she said.

St. Joseph’s Hospice, located at Westridge surrounded by military installations, is a centre providing treatment and rehabilitation to 60 paralysed, chronically ill or destitute patients who have often been rejected by their families and refused by other hospitals.

It was founded in 1962 by an Irish missionary, and after its opening, a German institution, Miserior, agreed to bear the entire expense for its building. Since 1964, it is being run by the Franciscans of Mary with the assistance of 14 Pakistani nurses. The nursing staff at the hospice provides patients with medical treatment in addition to food and clothes.

Problems for the hospice started following the 9/11 attacks as major international donors stopped their funding. However, the management tried to run its affairs using its savings and individual funding sources, but now even this has become a formidable task.

Rehana Iqbal, 70, said she had been in the centre for the past 10 years and had no alternate place as her family refused to accommodate her in their house.

While knitting sweaters, she told Dawn that she worked for an NGO which paid her for knitting sweaters.

“My legs were paralysed after an accident and my brother left me here. The hospice has been taking care of me for the past 10 years,” said Mohammad Aqeel Abbasi, 40, while talking to Dawn.

“My family never came back for me but people here have cared for me. I pray that they get funds from donors so that we can remain here,” he said.

The management revealed that there were 15 hospices in the world operating on the pattern of St. Joseph’s Hospice — 10 in South America and 2 in UK.

The hospice has 43 resident patients while about 80 emergency patients are received every day.

The patients are generally poor. Some are paralysed while others suffer from long-term debilitating illnesses requiring special care. Indoor patients do not pay any fee but for emergency patients, a nominal amount is charged as their treatment cost.

After the deteriorating law and order in the country, foreign charity organisations stopped funding the hospice.

“We need Rs1.6 million a month to run affairs of the hospice including utility services, medicines and staff salaries. We have funds for another four months and after that, the hospice will be closed,” said Naveed Indreyas, the finance officer of the hospice.

“Due to security concerns, foreigners do not visit the place and fail to understand the requirements of people here,” he said.

He said the administration requested friends and people it knew to give donations to the hospice, adding that Incharge Sister Margaret Walsh was struggling to collect donations to save the institution.

“The hospice staff also started donating 20 per cent of their salary to the hospice to run the daily affairs last month,” said Nagina Jospeh, the assistant administrator.

She said the cost of utility bills and medicines had increased so more donations were required.

“Two doctors were on the panel of the hospice and the Islamic Medical and Dental College also provided the services of a doctor,” she said.

Sister Margaret Walsh told Dawn that the meeting of the governing board had been called to chalk out a plan to start campaign for donations. “We will contact all organisations to help us save the hospice from closure,” she said.