Support Needed To Rehabilitate People Once Inflicted With Leprosy

Pakistan being the first country in the region to achieve the target of leprosy control, also fast on its way to leprosy elimination is in urgent need of a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for people already inflicted with the disease

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Dec, 2018 ) :Pakistan being the first country in the region to achieve the target of leprosy control, also fast on its way to leprosy elimination is in urgent need of a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for people already inflicted with the disease.

Officials associated with Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre talking to APP on Tuesday said a vocational training centre is already functional in the metropolis for the former leprosy patients having lost their limbs during the ailment.

"The facility is not restricted to physically handicapped," Mervyn Lobo said mentioning that hands-on skill training is also imparted to visually impaired.

Emphasizing that every trainee in the center is not necessarily one who may have been, at any point of time, suffered from the disease, he said people with impairments and no resources, keen to learn skill in general are also accommodated here.

"Our motive is social and economic empowerment of people with any sort of limitation" said the activist, a close associate of Dr Ruth Pfau (late).

In reply to a question, he said public support is always needed to keep updated the training programmes offered at the centre as this is crucial for capacity building of trainees in accordance to job market demands.

"Support and assistance to help them in starting their own businesses are equally relevant," Lobo said in reply to another question.

It was mentioned that people trained at the centre include both men and women practitioners of almost every religion with majority comprising Muslims.

Donations made for their rehabilitation will lead to empowerment of entire families and definitely can be cited as "Sadqa e Jaaria," he agreed in response to a comment made about money and other material support provided for the cause.

Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre officials also mentioned that the project initiated under the guidance of Dr Ruth Pfau for the treatment and rehabilitation of TB patients from across the country.

It was reiterated that people in general need to shun stigma attached to Leprosy as well as TB and also to stop ostracizing the sufferers.