NAMSAI, 30 Jan: Marking the World Leprosy Day and the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on 30 January paid floral tribute to the Father of the Nation and launched the Sparsh leprosy awareness campaign (SLAC) in Namsai.
The SLAC, being carried out by the Namsai District Health Society, will continue till 13 February.
The overall objective of the campaign is to spread awareness about leprosy and create a stigma-free environment for leprosy patients and their families. The campaign will focus on creating awareness about leprosy prevention, early detection, and treatment. It will also focus on generating understanding of the rights of leprosy-affected patients and their families.
The initiative is aimed at creating a society free of discrimination and stigma against leprosy-affected people.
Mein said that the SLAC has been launched with the aim of facilitating early diagnosis of cases in the district, and added that “the campaign will help reduce the leprosy burden and foster an environment of acceptance and understanding towards people affected by the disease.”
Later in the day, Mein inaugurated the operation theatre and the newborn stabilisation unit at the CHC in Chongkham, in the presence of Namsai DC CR Khampa, Chongkham ZPM Chow Jenia Namchoom, DMO Dr Nang Soreya Namchoom, and others.
World Leprosy Day was observed in Changlang district headquarters also on Monday with ADC (i/c) M Riba launching a fortnight-long SLAC in the district.
The theme of this year’s World Leprosy Day is ‘Act now. End leprosy’.
District Leprosy Officer Dr Kamlom Mossang presented a brief on the importance of the day and the Sparsh leprosy campaign. “Fourteen villages will be covered during the fortnight-long awareness campaign,” he said, and informed that two leprosy patients from different villages are currently receiving treatment for the disease.
The ADC in his address promised to “make all possible efforts to find all leprosy cases as early as possible and utilise all possible resources available in the district.”
Riba also flagged off a rally taken out by the students who attended the meeting. (DCM’s PR Cell & DIPRO)
