GUWAHATI:
Marking the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi and World Leprosy Day on January 30, Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on January 30 urged citizens of the state to pledge on the occasion to eradicate leprosy from society and to help those affected by leprosy by raising awareness about the disease and providing support to those affected by it.
Paying floral tribute to the father of the nation, Mein also launched the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign (SLAC) in Namsai district.
Addressing the event, Mein highlighted the SLAC and said that it is an initiative of the Central government to raise awareness about leprosy and create a stigma-free environment for people affected by it.
The campaign was launched to facilitate early diagnosis of cases in the remote district of Namsai.
He also added that the campaign will help reduce the leprosy burden and foster an environment of acceptance and understanding towards people affected by the disease.
The SLAC campaign is being organised by the District Health Society of Namsai district under the theme “Let’s fight leprosy and make leprosy history”. The campaign which begins today to mark Martyr’s Day will continue till February 13.
The overall objective of the campaign is to spread awareness about leprosy and create a stigma-free environment for leprosy patients and their families.
The campaign will focus on creating awareness about leprosy prevention, early detection, and treatment. It will also focus on creating an understanding of the rights of leprosy-affected patients and their families.
This initiative, it aims to create a society free of discrimination and stigma against leprosy-affected people.
Later, Mein also inaugurated an operation theatre and a New Born Stabilization Unit (NBSU) at CHC, Chongkham, in presence of Namsai DC CR Khampa, ZPM Chongkham, Chow Jenia Namchoom and DMO Namsai, Dr Nang Soreya Namchoom among others.
Mein expressed that the OTs and NBSU is the part of the government’s effort to upgrade the healthcare facilities in the district hospitals and CHCs across the state.
He said that it will cater to the medical needs of the common people who can not afford to go to town and outside the district for medical treatment and minor operations.
It was informed that 15 minor OTs were successfully performed on Monday.