Leprosy Mailing List – February 19th, 2008
Ref.:
Burden of Leprosy
Disabilities in Rural India
From: Ganapati R., Mumbai,
India
Dear Dr Noto,
The journey towards ‘World Without Leprosy’,
punctuated by 17th International Leprosy Congress assumed
special importance with the deliberations on ‘post-elimination’
problems and human rights issues at the recently concluded Congress in
Hydeabad.
I presented the results of a study which revealed an
abnormal load of visible disabilities due to leprosy in an adopted
rural population adjoining Bombay (Ref: ILC Abstract book, O-195, p.
137). The prevalence rate
of disabilities was 27 per 10,000 (figures updated). Doorstep POD services to over
400 leprosy-disabled are being offered by rural volunteers through
donations raised by the Bombay Leprosy Project, as the govt.
presumably is slowly getting aware of the gravity of the problem.
I was
however, surprised at the stunning silence of the enlightened audience
which consisted of epidemiologists, POD experts, surgeons, human right
activists and leprologists besides the programme manager of the govt.
of India. The fact that
there were no questions or comments implied that either the experts
took such a phenomenon for granted on they had no comments as the
situation was beyond redemption.
The study raised the question of how PHCs, in an
integrated set up will help to reach the utopian goal of ‘World
Without Leprosy’ which is the theme of the Congress, besides meeting
the ‘human rights’ of the patients.
The four PHCs under investigation faced an astonishing disability load ranging from 23.7 to 35.2 per 10,000
population. This issue
assumes special significance, as several sessions in Hyderabad, unlike
the previous ILCs addressed in particular the human rights of persons
affected by Leprosy.
Regards
Dr R Ganapati
Director Emeritus, Bombay Leprosy Project
