CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Collector and the chief district medical officer of Balasore to improve living conditions and medical facilities at the leprosy home at Lewis Colony in the district within a week.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray on Monday directed for increasing the bed strength of the 20-bed hospital at the leprosy home on an urgent basis to accommodate more patients and assign a regular MBBS doctor immediately along with two full time nurses with specialized training in leprosy treatment.
The court also directed for ensuring that toilets in both male and female wards are repaired immediately and cleaned on a daily basis and kept neat, clean and hygienic preferably by engaging agencies for the purpose.
It further directed the officials concerned to immediately increase of the number of toilets from two to at least 10 for the 33 families residing in Leprosy Colony along with prescribed footwear and appropriate clothing for all inmates.
“A compliance report should be submitted on each of the above directions to this court on or before August 16, 2021,” the bench ordered The court issued the direction on the basis of a report submitted by the three-member amicus curiae committee constituted by it on July 14 to ascertain the actual condition prevailing in leprosy colonies at Puri, Jatni, Khurda and Balasore.
The court was hearing a PIL filed way back in 2015 seeking directions to the State government for effective implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme. Bipin Bihari Pradhan, general secretary State Leprosy Welfare Federation had filed the petition.