Friday | 10 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Friday | 10 January 2025 | Epaper
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Health reform: Why leprosy issue deserves due attention

Published : Friday, 10 January, 2025 at 12:00 AM  Count : 137
Md Sazedul Islam
The interim government has constituted six commissions to reform the country's six important sectors. Health is one of the sectors. The health reform commission is now working to prepare their report. It is a welcome step by the government to reform health, which is considered as an important sector in the country.   

Now I would like to mention about leprosy, an important issue in the health sector. Though a health issue, leprosy is also responsible for creating social, economic and other problems for a large number of our people. Though responsible creating human sufferings, the leprosy issue remained neglected in the country. The negligence resulted in gross human rights violation such as employment, education and marriage of the leprosy victims.

According to National Leprosy Programme (NLP), though annually about 3000 to 3500 new leprosy cases are detected in Bangladesh in recent years, the real number is double the figure.

Leprosy is an infectious disease of the skin and nerves. It is an air-borne disease transmitted by minute respiratory droplets.

Leprosy is one of the major factors responsible for creating disabilities among people. However, disability caused by leprosy is preventable if there is early detection and timely treatment of the affected people. The most effective measure that can be taken to reduce the occurrence of leprosy-related disability is to ensure the early diagnosis of leprosy and prompt treatment for those affected by it.

For this reason, every effort should be made to inform the public that early diagnosis and treatment of leprosy prevents the occurrence of long-term complications.

According to The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B), about 6% to 8% percent of leprosy patients later become disabled due to lack of timely and quality treatment. Besides, 5% of the patients face the problem of loss of sensation in their hands initially, later they become disabled due to lack of proper treatment. When a leprosy patient takes medicines, there may be complications for this. If this is not managed properly, it also may cause disability for the patient. The disability, caused by leprosy, can be checked if the victims get the facility of reconstructive surgery at the initial stage. Hence, there should be proper arrangement of reconstructive surgery at our medical college hospitals.  

Leprosy is a leading cause of permanent physical disabilities among communicable diseases. Effective management of leprosy complications, including reactions and neuritis, can prevent or minimise the development of further disabilities.

According to Leprosy Mission International, nerve damage is the main cause of the impairments seen in leprosy. M. Leprae causes inflammation of the nerves and can go on to damage the nerves that supply the hands, feet, and eyes. The complications of leprosy occur because of nerve damage. If this damage is noticed in time, it can usually be reversed by treatment with steroids.

The most important problem with nerve damage in leprosy is loss of sensation, or anaesthesia, which allows the person to injure themselves during normal daily activities. Leprosy may also damage the nerves controlling muscles, leading to weakness, clawing, joint stiffness and deformity.

Besides, there are social problems like stigma and discrimination over leprosy. Due to disability, caused by leprosy, all leprosy affected people are made victims of stigma and discrimination and then they are shunned by the society, which hamper their daily lives, livelihood and treatment, putting their lives at risk.   To a large extent, deformities reinforce the social stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their families.

Leprosy-related disability resulted in mainly two problems. One is it hampers daily overall life of the victims due to stigma and another is the victims fail to contribute to family and society becoming burden to them. Finding no other alternative, the disabled people are forced to go for begging for livelihood.

Hence, addressing the leprosy issue is important in our national interest, because leprosy remains the cause of massive human sufferings.

If we want to sincerely address the leprosy issue, we have to take necessary steps to eradicate it. Bangladesh is committed to eradicating leprosy by 2030. Adequate financial allocation in the national budget is essential to turn the government's pledge into reality. We have to act now to accelerate towards zero leprosy infection and zero leprosy disability as per the vision of WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2021-2030.

In order to make a leprosy free country, it is first needed to give adequate emphasis to the leprosy issue by giving adequate financial allocation for leprosy in the national budge. Steps should be taken to raise massive countrywide awareness on leprosy, increase the capacity of service providers such as doctors and health workers, actively identifying potential leprosy cases and ensuring medical care, including diagnosis, ensure rehabilitation of the disabled people, and end leprosy-related stigma and discrimination.

It is hoped that the reform commission on health after consultation with the relevant stakeholders will submit their report taking into consideration the above-mentioned matters. The countrymen will be benefitted if proper emphasis is given to the leprosy issue.

We cannot properly reform the health sector by neglecting issues like leprosy. Those working on the health reform commission are requested to give due attention to the leprosy issue while performing their task.       

The writer is a freelance journalist


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