Rotary International has granted funding for the first phase of the Leprosy Control Programme in India; Active Case Finding in Delhi. The Leprosy Control Programme is an initiative put together by Lepra, Rotary Stratford UK, and Rotary Delhi South to alleviate the burden of leprosy across India, which currently accounts for approximately 60% of the global cases of leprosy.
With a budget of £73,000 for phase 1 (one year), the programme will be implemented in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Lepra will provide training programmes on diagnosis, treatment and management of leprosy to medical practitioners, Rotarians, health care staff and volunteers, with the aim to:
Himanshu Jain, Charter President & Foundation Chair of Rotary Club Stratford UK said:
“Leprosy is curable, but if it is not detected early, it can cause a number of complications including permanent disability. Over 200,000 cases of leprosy are diagnosed every year, but there are hundreds of thousands of people that are either not diagnosed at the right time or not reported. There is treatment available that could cure millions from this disease and the prejudice and discrimination attached to it. India accounts for approximately 60% of all leprosy cases. This is why the Leprosy Control Programme that we are initiating in India is very important. Once it gets going in Delhi, we hope to scale it up to all other endemic areas.”
The full scale Leprosy Control Programme, if funding is granted, will span across 10 years in total, consisting of 3 regional phases; 1. Delhi 2. Other leprosy endemic regions 3. The whole of India.
Implementation of the programme is currently suspended until COVID-19 restrictions in India are reduced/lifted. Read about how Lepra is supporting the COVID-19 situation in India here.
For more information about Lepra’s partnership with Rotary, visit our dedicated Rotary page.