National Leprosy Elimination Programme staff orientation hel
National Leprosy Elimination Programme staff orientation held for Tseminyu, Kohima districts
A one-day orientation programme for National Leprosy Elimination Programme (NLEP) staff under Tseminyu and Kohima districts was held at Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Kohima
Officials and participants during the one-day orientation
training on leprosy for NLEP health workers from Tseminyu and Kohima districts,
in Kohima on Thursday.
DIMAPUR — A one-day orientation programme for
National Leprosy Elimination Programme (NLEP) staff under Tseminyu and Kohima
districts was held on Thursday at the conference hall, Directorate of Health
and Family Welfare in Kohima.
According to an update, the inaugural session was chaired by
Dr. Ruokuohelie Rutsa, State Leprosy Officer, who mentioned that this training
programme had been conducted in Dimapur, Mon, and Tuensang, and that this
training for Kohima and Tseminyu was the final session, made possible with the
help of the National Health Mission.
Dr. Akuo Sorhie, Mission Director of NHM, in her
exhortation, expressed that these orientation programmes of NLEP are long
overdue and much appreciated, as they promote fresh insights into the
programme.
She mentioned that leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in
mankind, often overlooked and left untreated due to stigma and discrimination.
However, it is important to note that leprosy is curable with proper care and
the introduction of multi-drug therapy.
Mentioning that Nagaland was the first state in India to
reach the elimination target for leprosy in 1998, it was, however, noted that
there have been emerging cases of residual cases, so the state should work more
diligently and actively.
The MD emphasised that the department, especially the
leprosy staff, should work meticulously and cooperate with one another in view
of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023-2027, which
aims for the eradication of leprosy in India by 2027.
She urged the staff to work in mission mode and emphasised
that leprosy has not yet been eradicated from the state. She also called for
more intensive awareness programmes to be implemented and for efforts to
eliminate stigma.
In the technical session, the programme included the basics
of NLEP, roles and responsibilities of NLEP staff, slit skin smear (SSS)
laboratory diagnosis, and contact tracing/post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
