RI to free itself of leprosy

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)