A renewed interest in the Belgian-Congolese past can be observed in both wider society and academic historiography, with colonial health care as one of the central themes. However, its flagship – the institutionalised leprosy care - has never been subjected to a critical postcolonial reflection. By looking into the medical evolution and governance of the Congolese model leprosarium Iyonda (1945-1960), this article takes an innovative approach at leprosy history and broader medical colonial history.