Coming down heavily on the Government for gross irregularities in spending funds for leprosy eradication programme and their welfare in the State, a large number of leprosy patients along with social and right activists gheraoed the Directorate of Health here on Monday.
“Due to unavailability of proper care and treatment from the Government leprosy patients are becoming physically disabled. For instance, one Ananta Nayak, a tribal youth of Ramchandrapur village under Jatni police limits has lost his legs,” alleged right activist Pradip Pradhan.
He charged that the State Government has returned around Rs 4 crore of Central allocation in 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscals for the leprosy eradication progrmmme.
He also took a dig at the Hind Kustha Nirakaran Sangha, an organisation fighting for the cause of leprosy patients, for not taking up their issues properly and alleged that the organisation has not rehabilitated a single patient in last 20 years.
Demanding immediate identification of leprosy patients, proper rehabilitation and care and an impartial inquiry into the irregularities, the agitators also submitted a memorandum to the Health Director Dr Chittaranjan Kar.