Itanagar: Marking Mahatma Gandhi’s 75th death anniversary and World Leprosy Day, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein on Monday launched the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign (SLAC) in Namsai district.
The SLAC is being organised by the Namsai district health society on the theme of ‘Let’s fight leprosy and make leprosy history’. The campaign will continue till February 13.
The overall objective of the drive 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. The initiative aims to create a society free of discrimination & stigma against leprosy-affected people.
Speaking at the launch, Mein 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 with the aim of facilitating early diagnosis of cases in the remote district of Namsai,” he said.
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.
Commemorating Gandhi’s martyrdom, Mein urged people to take a pledge to eradicate leprosy from society and help those affected by leprosy by creating awareness about the disease and providing support to those affected by it.
He later also inaugurated an operation theatre and a NewBorn Stabilization Unit (NBSU) at the Community Health Centre in Chongkham.
Mein said that the OTs and NBSU are part of the government’s effort to upgrade the healthcare facilities in the district hospitals and CHCs across the state. He said that it would cater to the medical needs of the people who cannot 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 the day.
Also read: Protect culture while keeping up with development: Dy CM Mein
