‘Don’t turn away suspected leprosy cases’
Health service providers have been urged not to turn away suspected leprosy cases but to rather properly diagnose them to ensure follow-up actions in order to control the disease.
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The call was made by Mr Alphonsus Sofaaa, a retired Assistant Chief Technical Officer of Disease Control (Leprosy) in the Wa District at a ceremony where some cured lepers and others still undergoing treatment in the Upper West Region received a business start-up capital of GH¢240 each from the District Assemblies Common Fund.
in all the assembly disbursed GH¢ 565,954 as against GH¢1,765,099.66 last year.
Beneficiaries
In all, 11 people visited and received GH¢240 each. The amount is to serve as start-up capital for the beneficiaries to prevent them from becoming a burden to their family members and society.
Mr Sofaa said cured lepers and persons suspected to be infected with leprosy were constantly being discriminated against in both public and private health facilities.
He added that it was important for families to accept and integrate cured lepers into their midst to complement the efforts of the government and other stakeholders at curing lepers.
Treatment
For his part, the Project Coordinator of Lepers Aid Ghana, Mr Martin Tandoh, appealed to the beneficiaries to put the funds to good use “so that you are not compelled to resort to begging”.
Mr Tandoh said some leprosy patients were not getting treated because they were not taking their medication and urged them to undergo the full treatment process.
The Upper West Regional Coordinator of Disease Control (Leprosy), Ms Georgina Domle, stressed that early diagnoses were important in effective treatment of the disease and urged the public to report suspected cases on time.
Appreciation
The beneficiaries expressed their appreciation to the government and Lepers Aid Ghana for their support and called for the free supply of medication to be sustained.
Salifu Mumuni, a cured leper, who is currently engaged in farming at Zine in the Sissala West District, said he could now grow more maize, okra, beans and expand his guinea fowl business.
He also expressed the conviction that by making prudent investment, he would be able to pay the school fees of his children and take care of some basic needs of his family.
Other cured lepers testified to the stigma attached to the disease and talked about the attempts they were making to fight exclusion.
They said there was the need for the stigmatisation to stop, particularly after a leper had been cured.
Leprosy
Leprosy is caused by bacteria and affects mainly the skin and the nerves.
Ghana has reached the eradication stage in the fight against the disease.