Voices

New Delhi: Vice President calls for integration of leprosy-cured citizens

Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has underlined the need for integrating into society’s mainstream, the persons who are cured of leprosy.

Inaugurating the “2nd National Conference on Integration and Empowerment of People Affected by Leprosy”, on 5th October, he said that although a good success was attained in eradication of leprosy, “yet we cannot remain oblivious to the problems of social stigma and discrimination which forced the leprosy cured person to spend their lives in exclusion, loneliness and ignominy”.

Emphasizing on the need for making sustained efforts to change the social image of leprosy, Shekhawat said that with a view to sensitize people to treat the cured persons with love, dignity and empathy, we  need to educate people that leprosy is not a communicable disease and clear their misgivings.

For this, he said, people have to frame necessary legislation and adopt policies and strategies that may enable the leprosy-cured persons to get their fundamental rights of living with dignity by providing them with basic needs like education medical care, housing and means to earn their livelihood.

Expressing concern that even the healthy offspring of such persons have to face innumerable difficulties in getting education and employment, he said “we have to kindle a feeling among those suffering from leprosy that they need not live on alms, rather it is their right to live a life of dignity”.

He went on to appeal to the commercial houses and voluntary organizations to create more and more job opportunities for leprosy cured persons and their families. The need for creating social awareness about the fact that leprosy was not a communicable disease, Shekhawat cited that personalities like Mahatma Gandhi have proved this by personally tending and treating the leprosy patients.

Source: ‘Integrate’ leprosy-cured persons in the society. Political & Business, Daily, New Delhi, 5 October 2006.