The newly-discovered ‘multi-drug treatment system’ is yielding promising results in curing leprosy patients in Chhattisgarh.
During the last 11 years, use of this treatment method has reduced the prevalence rate of leprosy from 8.2 per 10,000 persons to 2.21 per 10,000 persons, officials informed.Chief Minister Raman Singh has directed the Health Department to give top priority to cure of this disease, so as to make Chhattisgarh a ‘leprosy-free State.’
The Health Department officials informed here that leprosy is no more an incurable disease. like other diseases, this too can be cured. All the government hospitals of the State have the facility of free medical treatment of leprosy patients.With the new treatment method, Paucibacillary (PB) leprosy patients are cured within 6 months and multibacillary (MB) patients are cured within a period of one year.
Moreover, the patients with deformity due to leprosy are being provided the facility of operation free of cost.The State Government is providing financial aid of Rs 8000 for operation of the patients with deformed body parts. All the government district hospitals including Regional leprosy Research Institute situated at lalpur in Raipur have the facility of free operation of deformed body parts of leprosy patients using modern equipment.
During the last nine years, deformed body parts of nearly 2000 leprosy patients have been corrected through operations.According to the officials, prevalence rate of leprosy was 8.2 per 1,000 patients in year 2003, which reduced to 2.48 per 10,000 patients in November 2013 and by March 2014 it further decreased to 2.21 per 10,000 patients.
Nine out of the 27 districts of State namely Mahasamund, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, BalodaBazar-Bhatapara, Durg, Korba and Kabeerdham (Kawardha) had higher prevalence rate compared to other districts. Hence, these districts were targetted and rigorous drive of leprosy treatment was conducted in these districts.
The officials informed that 6375 patients in the State were cured using multidrug treatment method, as on November 2014.The State Government has provided proper training to doctors and paramedical employees of general health services in government hospital regarding implementation of multidrug treatment method, they stated.
At field-level, sufficient stocks of medicines have been made available to male and female health workers at community, primary and sub health centres. Moreover, Government hospitals also provide facility of health check-up and treatment to leprosy patients at OPD.Provision for free distribution of multidrug treatment medicines to leprosy patients in all the district hospitals, community, primary and sub health centres have been made.
‘Mitanins’ are provided incentive of Rs100 for each new leprosy patient diagnosed by them. An incentive of Rs200 is provided for diagnosis of PB patients and that of Rs400 is provided for diagnosis of every patient. leprosy awareness campaign is also underway in State to remove common myth about the disease among the people.