Rotary International grants funding for the Leprosy Control Programme in India
24 June 2021
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:
- Raise awareness of leprosy amongst the general public, health professionals and decision makers
- Deliver Active Case Finding activities through door-to-door surveys by trained health workers to identify people with undiagnosed cases of leprosy and refer them diagnosis and treatment
- Collect data through enhanced health staff training, and utilise this data for an increase in referrals, treatment, medication and support resources
- Provide a supportive space where people affected by leprosy feel confident to come forward and seek treatment and help
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.