CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has constituted a three-member committee of advocates to ascertain the condition of leprosy colonies in Puri, Jatni, Khurda and Balasore and submit a joint report by September 2.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice SK Panigrahi on Wednesday directed the panel to submit the report along with photographs and videos on the actual living conditions and medical facilities available to inmates at Sanjay Leprosy Colony (Puri town), Dhanabati Leprosy Colony and Bapujee Leprosy Colony (both Jatni), Bhagabat Leprosy Colony (Khurda) and Leprosy Home at Lewis Colony (Balasore).
The court has asked the committee comprising advocates Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, Gautam Mishra and Pami Rath to interact with the inmates and ascertain the issues faced by them.
The committee is expected to interact with trained leprosy workers/paramedical workers/multipurpose health workers catering to the needs of inmates in the colonies and also with the families of those affected with leprosy and understand what their immediate and long-term needs are.
It also directed the Director of Health Services to submit by September 2 an affidavit on the up to date statistics regarding prevalence of leprosy of both varieties, status of availability of treatment, beds, drugs (including MDT) at the various hospitals, PHCs, health care centres in urban and rural locations and status of filling up of vacant posts of medical officers and staff.
The order was issued on a PIL filed by Bipin Bihari Pradhan, general secretary State Leprosy Welfare Federation way back in 2015. The petition had sought directions to the State authorities for effective implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). Advocate Bijay Kumarv Ragada argued on behalf of the petitioner.
According to the petition, the State government had declared Odisha as a leprosy-free State in 2006-07. The government accordingly dismantled several posts of paramedical workers and field officers that existed to deal with the situation. But in that year, the State still had 5,038 leprosy affected persons, the petition claimed. As of 2018-19 that number has increased to 10,465.
There are 77 leprosy colonies in a very poor condition. The leprosy affected persons living at the colonies are in dire need of medical care and treatment and are deprived of opportunity of earning livelihood, the petition had pointed out.