|
Mr. Yohei
Sasakawa, President of
The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination,
visited Bihar during the period 26-29 August 2004, accompanied by Dr. S. J.
Habayeb, WHO Representative to India,
and Dr. Derek Lobo, Regional Advisor for Vector Borne Disease Control, WHO South East Asia Regional Office.
The State level Consultation on Media and Advocacy,
and the meetings on the Role of Social and Corporate Organizations were
attended by the Minister of Health, the Minister of State, Health Secretary,
National Programme Manager from Government of India, centre and state senior
officials, representatives from other sector, NGO's, media, and the
Confederation of Indian Industries. Thirty persons who have had leprosy
shared their personal experience.
Mr. Sasakawa, who has
dedicated a substantial amount of resources and time to leprosy elimination,
stressed that one of his main goals is to combine technical and humanitarian
aspects. He called for addressing both physical affliction and social
injustice while assuring human dignity. He called for dealing with leprosy
care as a human right.
The meeting called for more involvement of the
corporate sector to share information, to protect employment of persons
developing leprosy, and to provide work opportunities for work persons who
have had leprosy and who are cured. The meeting recommended that the media
should contribute to demystify leprosy. All the society should join hands to
prevent leprosy from leading to destitution.
|
|
