The Congregation made a paradigm shift with regards to the apostolates and services offered in the year 1957 by launching a medical apostolate. Mother Mary Ignatius Allam, the 11^th Superior General of the Congregation was instrumental in setting up a health care ministry and the very first hospital, Arogyamatha  – Our Lady of Health Hospital was set up at Narasaraopet  in 1961 to treat both in-patients as well as out-patients. A new dispensary was set up at Vinukonda in 1963 and the St. Joseph’s Hospital at Piduguralla was set up in 1966. Although Education was the primary apostolate of the Congregation up until this point, the decision to train sisters to serve as nurses and doctors and opening up of several hospitals and dispensaries helped in realising the vision of our Foundress in providing loving service to the needy.

Major developments in the medical apostolate were initiated by Mother Margaret Mary Aduri in the period from 1967 to 1978. St. Anne’s Dispensary was opened at Phirangipuram in 1968  and the Holy Mary Dispensary was started at Thubadu in 1969. St Joseph’s Dispensary was the next one to be opened in 1975 at Thallacheruvu and the fourth dispensary to be opened was Nirmala Jyothi Dispensary at Mutlur followed by Arogya Nilayam at Kavali. Two more dispensaries were set up in the consecutive years , St. Teresa’s Health Centre at Patibanda and Holy Family Health Centre at Polur in 1977.

Subsequent additions included opening of St. Mary’s Hospital at Nalgonda in 1979, St. Anne’s Dispensary at Dondapadu in 1994, St. Anne’s Dispensary in Bagalore in 1999. Also, under the leadership of Superior General Fatima Mary Boyapati, few sisters of the Congregation were sent to Kansas, U S A to render medical and health services to the elderly and infirm at Olathe.  

Ever since the setting up of the Health Apostolate, it has been the mission of our Society to improve the health of the communities we serve. The focus is on addressing all aspects of a person’s health – physical, emotional and spiritual. The sisters are committed to providing high quality health and healing care with a sense of dignity , integrity , service and compassion. Details of a few health centres and dispensaries under the aegis of SSAP are included below along with the number of beneficiaries of these institutions.

(* Certain hospitals have been restructured , partially closed or in operational due to various factors)