Md Sazedul Islam
World Health Day is generally observed on April 7 around the world, including in Bangladesh, every year. In the midst of ongoing corona pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) says this year it will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.
The date of April 7 marks the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. The unparallel value of good health is celebrated on that Day. Spearheaded by the WHO, physical, mental and emotional well-being is promoted and celebrated all over the world on this day. WHO is striving towards achieving the goal of universal health coverage by creating awareness about the fact that health is a human right and everyone
should have access to the right care at the right time and at the right place (within their community).
In Bangladesh, leprosy, a major national health problem, is a cause of sufferings of our people, but regrettably it has failed to get its due attention to the country’s policymakers. Being a health issue, it has also created social and economic problems, resulting in gross human rights violation.
To get a leprosy-free country, anti-leprosy measures such as ensuring
quality health services, integration of leprosy into general health services,
launching early case detection and awareness drive across the country
should be taken on an emergency basis
Leprosy is an infectious disease of the skin and nerves. It is an air-borne disease transmitted by minute respiratory droplets. If not diagnosed and treated quickly, it can result in debilitating disabilities. According to The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B), annually on an average about 3500-4,000 new leprosy cases are detected in the country in the recent years. About 10% of the affected people later turn disabled due to lack of timely and proper treatment.
If affected, a leprosy victim remained inactive, hence he fails to earn income for family for at least six months. And those who turned disabled for leprosy turned inactive failing to earn any income, except by begging. If so many people are affected and disabled due to leprosy in a year, it means a big economic burden for a populous country like Bangladesh. Hence, the matter needs urgent attention if we want to ensure our smooth march towards development.
Leprosy has also social implications. Leprosy affected people generally face stigma and discrimination in the society, which hamper their diagnosis, treatment, cure and social activities. Due to the stigma, the victims, even their family members, are excluded in the society.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a United Nations initiative that has set 17 goals for the countries to achieve till the year 2030. Good health and well-being is one of the goals. So we cannot avoid a major health issue that is responsible for hampering the health and well-being of a large number of our people.
In 2017, the Bangladesh government revised the Bangladesh Leprosy Control Strategy for 2016-2020 –‘Accelerating towards a leprosy-free Bangladesh’ – in line with the Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020’.
The Global Leprosy Strategy called for ensuring increased commitment towards a further reduction of the burden of the disease and prevention of lifelong disability for children affected by leprosy. This strategy focuses on universal health coverage bringing women, children and vulnerable people under the programme so that the sustainable development goal-3, which ensures a healthy life for all, can be achieved by 2030.
While addressing a national conference on leprosy in Dhaka on December 11, 2019 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for ending discrimination against leprosy victims and make Bangladesh leprosy free by 2030. Now if anti-leprosy steps are not taken, that target will not be achieved and leprosy-related sufferings for our people will continue.
Our leprosy programme is now facing several critical challenges due to a gradual decrease in funding allocation for the programme, which has resulted in fewer activities, less training and losing experienced personnel. Ultimately, leprosy is losing its importance as an infectious disease.
The next major challenge is to sustain knowledge, skills and expertise in leprosy management, especially in less prevalent areas. Additional challenges remained for prevention of visible disability and deformity in those who are already taking MDT, as well as community-based rehabilitation for the affected people.
One of the challenges is to ensure quality care for the people affected by leprosy. The victims deserve our love, respect, dignity and support so that they can overcome life-struggling situations. We should continue our fight against leprosy. Our goal should be to unite all our efforts to eradicate this disease and to see leprosy–free Bangladesh as soonest possible.
In Bangladesh, leprosy health services have not been integrated into general health services, provided by general hospitals across the country. Three government hospitals are now providing leprosy health services, but its capacity to provide necessary services is not satisfactory. The government-run hospitals are not adequately prepared to handle complex leprosy cases such as reconstructive surgery. The public hospitals need to strengthen their capacity and improve services.
A significant portion of leprosy-related health services are now provided by non-governmental sector, but this sector has limited capacity and now they are facing troubles in providing such services due to financial constraints. Such a situation indicates that the government must come forward to take a leading role in providing quality leprosy health services with adequate budgetary allocation for leprosy. Otherwise, it may create terrific situation in the country.
To get a leprosy-free country, anti-leprosy measures such as making expertise, ensuring quality health services, integration of leprosy into general health services, keeping adequate financial allocation for leprosy, necessary training for physicians and health workers, launching early case detection and awareness drive across the country, should be taken on an emergency basis.
According to Article 25 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including medical care and, the right to security in the event of sickness, disability.
According to Article 15 (ka) of Bangladesh’s national constitution, the State is supposed to ensure fundamental matters such as medical treatment for the people, while its Article 18(1) mentioned that the State will regard improving public health as one of its primary duties.
The main message of this year’s World Health Day is to ensure good health and well-being of people. In Bangladesh, leprosy being a health issue caused national sufferings on a massive scale. Hence, it deserves due attention at the policy-making level. It is hoped that leprosy issue will get priority in the interest of ensuring good health and well-being of the people in the country.
Md Sazedul Islam is a freelance journalist
