Leprosy
mailing list – September 14th, 2005
Ccn: all.
From: R Ganapati, Mumbai,
India.
Dear
Dr Noto
The
so called SET (Survey Education & Treatment) programme, a brain
child of the leprologist, the late Dr. R V Wardekar was adopted by the
Govt. of India soon after DDS was found to be effective in leprosy.
Unfortunately the Symbol “T” was equated with just administering
DDS and later MDT without practicing care of limbs and eyes at the
field level. A small proportion of patients with disabilities who were
lucky to reach well-known leprosy hospitals against odds received good
services.
The
army of medical officers and paramedical officers manning the National
Leprosy Eradicating Programme received training and refresher training
repeatedly (which was highly theoretical) on prevention of nerve
damage and the care of eyes and limbs.
With
the integration of leprosy into general health services and the
serious erosion of clinical services resulting from the loss of
expertise, the future of leprosy patients who are prone to nerve
damage and its sequelae is indeed very bleak.
Dr
H Srinivasan (lml - August 15, 2005) has rightly referred to the need
for orientation of surgeons, but we urge that the services should
reach the community where leprosy patients live. There should be a
national policy and specific guidelines for domiciliary care.
Dr
R Ganapati
Bombay
Leprosy Project
