Leprosy is curable; awareness needed to end ostracisation of such patients: LS Speaker

Stressing that leprosy is curable, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said awareness will help end ostracisation of such patients.He made the comments on the eve of World Leprosy Day which is celebrated on January 30.Lauding the efforts of Rotary Club of Delhi South, Birla said the organisation along with its partners have been creating awareness around leprosy.

Stressing that leprosy is curable, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said awareness will help end ostracisation of such patients.

He made the comments on the eve of World Leprosy Day which is celebrated on January 30.

Lauding the efforts of Rotary Club of Delhi South, Birla said the organisation along with its partners have been creating awareness around leprosy. ''Only with this knowledge will the ostracisation of patients end, allowing them to live a life of dignity and security. The work being done by Rotary and its partners in knowledge dissemination is vital and is aligned with the government's mission of eliminatingleprosy from India by 2030,'' he said in a message.

He expressed hope that the programme will continue to grow and positively impact leprosy patients, their families and the larger community.

Since its inception in 2019, the Leprosy Control Project, has benefitted more than 1,600 leprosy patients and their families, trained around 200 healthcare workers, and supported the treatment and rehabilitation of more than 600 leprosy patients in Delhi-NCR.

''We have realised that there is a lot of misinformation regarding leprosy, particularly with respect to its perceived incurability, which results in the exclusion of patients from organised society, making their plight even more deplorable. It is of immense importance that the right information reaches the public,'' Pradeep Bahri, CEO Rotary Club Alliance for Leprosy Control said. As a part of the Leprosy Control Program, Rotary Club of Delhi South along with its partners, have installed solar panel support in two leprosy colonies, saving families from expenditure on electricity.

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