CUTTACK: In an affidavit placed before the Orissa High Court on Tuesday, the Central government claimed that no dedicated paramedical workers were required to be engaged under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) for leprosy screening and treatment after integration of the Leprosy Services with General Healthcare Services (GHS) in 2002.
The court was hearing the PIL filed by secretary of state leprosy welfare federation Bipin Bihari Pradhan for effective implementation of the NLEP in 2015. Senior regional director, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Dr Suchitra Sasmal filed the affidavit responding to the high court’s May 7 order.
The court had sought response from both Central and state governments to the petitioner’s contention that engagement of para-medical workers (PMWs) is required for effective implementation of NLEP and there is no dedicated workforce like PMWs for NLEP.
The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho fixed August 14 for further consideration of the matter along with the petitioner counsel’s rejoinder to the affidavits filed by the state and Central governments. The state government had earlier filed a similar affidavit making identical claims. In the Central government’s affidavit, Dr Sasmal said leprosy services were integrated with General Healthcare Services (GHS) at functional as well as structural level in order to decentralise and universalise NLEP. Consequently, NLEP along with other programmes such as TB, malaria, dengue, maternal health and child health, and immunisation were required to be carried out as part of the comprehensive healthcare service delivery system.
Hence, allopathic medical officers, AYUSH medical officers, multi-purpose health workers and supervisors, nursing officers and community health officers, laboratory technicians, ASHAs, physiotherapists and other medical staff delivered services under NLEP along with other healthcare services.
These staff engaged by the state government and National Health Mission, Odisha imparted with multi-skilled training for screening, confirmation, treatment and follow-up of leprosy cases, delivered services under NLEP along with other health services, Dr Sasmal said.
Inclusion of a greater number of healthcare providers in case detection and management through active surveillance widened the leprosy surveillance system and reached the whole population through house-to house surveillance.
“This has resulted in early detection and prompt treatment of leprosy cases which is evident from declining trend of new leprosy cases from 65,299 in 1999-2000 to 8,396 in 2023-24 (decline of 87 per cent) as well as substantial decline in Grade 2 disability from 1,258 in 1999-2000 to 149 in 2023-24 (decline of 88 per cent),” Dr Sasmal claimed in the affidavit.