Though the Kerala health department has decided to wind up the leprosy control units operational in the state for lack of funds, the German Leprosy Relief Association (GLRA) has come forward with an assistance of Rs.1.33 crore to the NGOs in the field in the state.

GLRA, which operates in over 56 countries and in India at West Bengal, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, plans to fund, redesign and reorient the leprosy control activities of eight NGOs working in the field in Kerala. Besides funding, GLRA would offer expert guidance to these units. For this, GLRA would set up District Level Integration Promotion Cells. Part of the funding would be given to conduct surgeries on handicapped leprosy patients, said Dr.Jayaraj Devdas, coordinator for GLRA activities in the state.

Meanwhile, Kerala State Health Department sources said the government has decided to wind up all the leprosy control units in the state by March 2004. This was mainly due to lack of funding from the central government, as the units were set up as part of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme, which was envisaged only up to year 2000, though it was extended for a few more years. Even if the units were closed, patients would be treated at taluk and district government hospitals. Workers attached to these units would be redeployed to other institutions of the health department.

Under the fully central government funded programme, Kerala has 10 district leprosy units, 15 leprosy control units, 35 modified leprosy control units, 162 centres attached to rural Public Health Centres and 52 urban leprosy centres, besides an urban leprosy unit and a surgery unit.

The Government of India constituted a committee in 1981 and in pursuance of its suggestion, the National Leprosy Control Programme was redesignated as National Leprosy Eradication Programme. With a view to wiping out leprosy from India by 2000 AD, it was brought under a 20-point programme and was subsequently made 100 % centrally sponsored scheme.

Sources said the most significant feature of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme was the introduction of a specialized form of treatment for leprosy known as M.D.T (Multi Drug Therapy) in all endemic districts, step by step. In Kerala M.D.T was implemented in Alappuzha (1987, Thrissur and Palakkad (1990), Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram (1991) and Ernakulam, Kannur, Kasargod, Malappuram and Kozkikode (1993) and later in the other districts. With the help of the programme, incidence of the disease could be reduced considerably in the state, especially in most affected districts like Aalappuzha and Thrissur. In Aalappuzha, it was reduced from 4.75 persons per 1000 to 0.14 persons per thousand and 7.8/1000 to 0.25/1000 in Trissur. In the last few years, the programme had identified about 5000 persons affected with the disease and treatment was given to over 7500 people.