A picturesque complex located on a sprawling 550 acre estate about 60 km from Chennai. Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute stands as an elegant testimony to the inexorable fight against leprosy. It started as “Lady Willigdon” leprosy sanatorium under contribution from the church of Scotland Mission in 1924 and  was taken over first by the Government of Madras in 1948 and then by the Government of India in 1955. Since April 1974 the Institute has been functioning as a subordinate office of the Directorate General of Health Service provides unstinted support to National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in specific areas of research and manpower Training.

1. To undertake research into the basic problems relating to the inception and spread of Leprosy.

2. To Promote field studies for the application of the results of basic researches to the problem of controlling leprosy in the community

3. To train Leprosy workers of various types in sufficient numbers and of the requisite quality.

4. To function as a center from which to give technical guidance and advice for the promotion of anti leprosy work on sound lines.

5. To participate actively in the organization and development of state Leprosy Institutes when such are established and make available its services for the investigation of special problems in all parts of the country.