|
Achieving Leprosy Elimination in India-Challenges to and Commitment of WHO South-East Asia Regional Office
Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei
Regional Director
WHO South-East Asia Region
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Professor Kiikun, Dr. C.P. Thakur, Honourable Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Health Secretaries, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to be here in Tokyo among distinguished members of the Global Alliance for Elimination of Leprosy, as well as policy-makers and colleagues from International Nongovernmental organizations working in India. We are here to discuss the common and crucial goal of achieving elimination of leprosy in India.
The South-East Asia Region has already made remarkable progress, as is reflected by the fact that 10 million of the 11 million people affected by leprosy have been cured using MDT drugs donated to WHO by The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation. And from 2000 to 2005, Novartis will continue to donate MDT drugs to WHO for uninterrupted and free supply to every endemic country.
Leprosy is still endemic in India, Nepal and Myanmar. Our Region contributes 75% of the global leprosy caseload. India alone contributes 66% of the global caseload or 91% of the South-East Asia Region's burden. As of March 2002, there were around 460,000 patients under MDT treatment in India. If the elimination goal is to be achieved by 2005, we have to cure them. How can this be done? This is indeed a formidable challenge. What is most important is to sustain an intensive and true partnership in order to mobilize additional resources for priority interventions that ensure coverage of MDT services including prevention of deformities in patients. Our expected outcome in this respect is that leprosy patients are cured without deformities/disabilities. Secondly, we need to improve the accessibility to MDT drugs. We should aim at making MDT drugs available at every primary health care centre and with paramedical workers at sub-centres. Trained doctors at primary health care centre should be able to diagnose leprosy cases daily in the OPD. Vertical leprosy staff should be absorbed in the general health care system and retained for monitoring the progress of elimination at district and block levels.
Distinguished Colleagues, the WHO South-East Asia Regional
Office is providing the following support to NLEP:
| ● |
Free supply of MDT |
| ● |
Field Project Director (IAS), State and Zonal Coordinators in 12 endemic States |
| ● |
Field Data Entry Operators with computes and equipment in every State/Union
Territory |
| ● |
Support to Leprosy Elimination Monitoring during 2002-2005 |
| ● |
Support to capacity-building of Chief Medical Officers, District Leprosy Officers
and State Leprosy Officers during 2002-2003 |
| ● |
Supply Guidelines to Eliminate Leprosy in 13 Indian languages throughout the
country |
| ● |
Supply of posters and leaflets |
| ● |
Support to the periodical review meetings of leprosy elimination activities
in endemic states |
The Regional Office will continue to support NLEP until
India achieves the elimination goal by 2005. The strategies will be focused on
the following activities:
WHO will support:
| ● |
The process of integration of leprosy services into the general health care
system so that all suspected leprosy cases are diagnosed at health facilities
near where the people live. |
| ● |
The uninterrupted and free supply of MDT drugs to all health facilities |
| ● |
Planning, management, capacity-building and monitoring of leprosy elimination |
| ● |
Advocacy meetings to enhance political commitment |
| ● |
Enhancing of public awareness towards leprosy elimination and changing the
image of leprosy through media and IEC activities. |
Distinguished Colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Special Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Elimination of Leprosy, for arranging this very important meeting. I would like to assure you that the World Health Organization will continue to support the global efforts in combating the scourge of leprosy.
Thank you.
|
