Photo:
Star
Our Correspondent,
Nilphamari
After getting infected with leprosy or Hansen’s disease at a young age, Mokaddes Ali was stigmatised and driven away from his home village of Sonakhuli in Saidpur upazila.
Ostracised by the community, Mokaddes, now 60, had to beg for food and spend numerous nights in the open, away from the locality.
He later came to learn about Danish Bangladesh Leprosy Mission (DBLM) Hospital, in Notkhana village of Nilphamari Sadar upazila, where he finally found shelter and started receiving treatment free of cost.
The Leprosy Mission International, a fellowship of 31 member countries, has been operating the hospital for decades in Nilphamari -- a district that has high prevalence of Hansen’s disease.
But by the time Mokaddes was cured fully, the disease maimed his hands and legs and deformed his face.
Years later, he returned to his village and opened a small grocery store to make a living. But his physical disfigurement and social stigma attached to leprosy are still keeping many villagers from shopping at his store.
Like Mokaddes, Paban Roy, 60, of Toronibari, Abdus Sattar, 58, of Baraipara and Tepra Barman, 65, of Polashbari, also had similar experience when they returned to their villages after fully recovering from the disease.
A handful of social organisations such as ‘Kustho O Sadharon Protibondhi Unnayan Sangathan (KSPUS)’ have come forward to eradicate the deep-rooted stigma among the general public and integrate the leprosy survivors into the society.
Sumon Chandra Sarker, secretary of KSPUS, said they have been campaigning for the eradication of superstition about leprosy and social discrimination against leprosy survivors so they can be rehabilitated and integrated into the society.
The organisation is registered under the Department of Social Services, which allocates annual funding for them, said KSPUS President Sombaru Mamud.
The fund is converted into loans for members who can use the money for setting up small ventures to get back on their feet.
KSPUS also helps them obtain different allowances under various social safety programmes of the government, he added.
The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B) is also creating awareness on social stigma attached to leprosy through various social organisations which they term ‘Community-Based Rehabilitation Partners’.
They also provide vocational training and artificial or prosthetic limbs to leprosy survivors, said Surendra Nath Singh, community programme leader of TLMI-B.
Emdadul Huque Pramanik, deputy director of the Department of Social Services, said the government has been funding organisations like KSPUS to rehabilitate leprosy survivors in the society.
A handful of social organisations such as ‘Kustho O Sadharon Protibondhi Unnayan Sangathan (KSPUS)’ have come forward to eradicate the deep-rooted stigma among the general public and integrate the leprosy survivors into the society.