The Rotary Club of Delhi South (RCDS) has taken a proactive step to support leprosy patients and their families across Delhi NCR. In collaboration with Lepra and Assets Care and Reconstruction Enterprise Ltd (ACRE), RCDS has installed an on-grid solar power plant at the Mother Teresa Home for leprosy patients in Tahirpur, Delhi. This initiative aims to improve the quality of life of leprosy patients and their families by providing them with a sustainable source of energy.
Leprosy is one of the oldest-known chronic infectious diseases, which can lead to deformity and disability if not treated on time. India accounted for approximately 54% of the 1,27,558 new cases of leprosy detected globally in 2020-21. Despite being completely curable, leprosy remains one of the most misunderstood and underreported diseases, mainly due to a lack of awareness about the disease, its treatment, and management.
The Rotary Club, along with its partners, uses a multi-pronged approach to raise awareness, dispel social stigma surrounding the disease, and improve medical care and the quality of life for patients. Since its inception, the Leprosy Control Project has been consistently working towards improving the lives of more than 1500 leprosy patients and their families in Delhi NCR. The project takes a five-step approach to tackle leprosy: create awareness, train healthcare workers, actively find cases, provide treatment and palliative care to patients, and rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society to alleviate the burden of leprosy in India.
Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Mr. Manoj Tiwari, inaugurated the solar power plant and distributed tricycles to leprosy patients to improve their quality of life. Speaking at the event, Mr. Tiwari emphasized the importance of raising awareness about leprosy and making India a leprosy-free nation. He acknowledged the work done by Rotary and its partners to eliminate leprosy from India by 2027.
Dr. Sudarsan Mandal, Deputy Director General (Leprosy), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, highlighted that leprosy is still a public health problem in India as it contributes to around 54% of the annual global new cases. He further added that although leprosy is curable and treatment is freely available, lack of awareness among the common citizens leads to stigma and discrimination among leprosy patients.
The Rotary Club will soon be launching a comprehensive care facility at the Indira Gandhi Hospital to provide rehabilitation and treatment to leprosy patients. Mr. Deepak Kapur, Head of Rotary Club Alliance for Leprosy Control, thanked ACRE and LEPRA for their unconditional support towards the cause. Mr. Mohd Shariq Malik, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Assets Care and Reconstruction Enterprise Ltd (ACRE), expressed his pride in being associated with such a noble cause and witnessing the impact the Leprosy Project has made in the last three years.
In addition to Mr. Tiwari, other dignitaries present at the occasion were Dr. Ritu Choudhary, State Leprosy Officer, Dr. KS Baghotia, Secretary Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh, Rtn. Ashok Kantoor, Rotary District Governor, RD 3011 along with representatives from LEPRA and ACRE. The initiative taken by the Rotary Club of Delhi South is commendable and sets an excellent example for other organizations to follow to support the cause of leprosy patients and their families.
