RI to free itself of leprosy

SURABAYA, East Java: Indonesia will launch a leprosy eradication program in 1998 with the aim of entirely freeing the country from the disease by 2000, Minister of Health Sujudi said here Monday.

The program would among other things provide free medical treatment for victims of the disease in certain public health centers throughout the country, said Sujudi at the opening of a medical conference called the Intercountry Consultative Meeting of Program Managers on the Elimination of Leprosy.

There are almost 34,000 leprosy sufferers here, meaning that Indonesia has the third largest number of people carrying the disease in the world after India and Brazil.

Sujudi was quoted by Antara as saying that the success of the leprosy eradication program would depend greatly on contributions from the World Health Organization and donor agencies such as the Saskawa Memorial Health Foundation, The Netherlands Leprosy Relief Association (NSL), Leprosy Mission International and the Ciba-Geigy Leprosy Fund.

In European countries, every serious leprosy sufferer was provided with a package of medicine worth US$25 and US$3 for preventing the disease, Antara quoted Dr. Noordin of WHO.

"The package is provided for use for six to 12 months. Through routine treatment, victims can recover from leprosy in this time," he said.

Today, leprosy patients can be cured through Multidrug Therapy (MDT) and can lead normal lives. (swe)