Has not the jargon ‘Elimination’ of Leprosy outlived its utility?

Leprosy Mailing List – January 18th, 2008
Ref.: Has not the jargon ‘Elimination’ of Leprosy outlived its utility?
From: Ganapati R., Mumbai, India

Dear Dr Noto,

Dr V Pannikar deserves to be complimented for releasing a most sensible document with progressive views, viz. Govt of India-WHO-ICMR workshop recommendations (LML –January 15th, 2008).
It is gratifying to note that after all, the WHO has admitted that “Quality of care for patient took a back seat during elimination drive”. The workshop also recommends “…to remove the term ‘leprosy elimination’ from the programme dictionary”. It is gracious of WHO to have agreed that the term elimination is “likely to create adverse impact on patient care and management and also research and funding”.

In this context, I cannot help but remind your esteemed readers about the remarks we made three years ago (LML Archives, LML - March 13th, 2005) “….The donors are made to believe that with the magic word of ‘Elimination’, the disease is already at the verge of being wiped out. Has not the jargon ‘Elimination’ of Leprosy outlived its utility? Though it is rather late, should we not eliminate this word and devise a more patient-friendly term that truly reflects the sincere attempt at the eradication of all ills afflicting the persons who have contracted specially the progressive forms of the disease for no fault on their part”. The contents of this LML were also later published in the International Journal of Leprosy (73: 229, September 2005).

I hope that the Govt of India-WHO-ICMR recommendations will be widely circulated among the delegates attending the forthcoming International Leprosy Congress in Hyderabad. I also welcome Dr Juan Periche Fernandez’s suggestion (LML-January 11th, 2008) that Dr P Narasimha Rao should kindly convene a meeting of LML subscribers at the Congress and hope that this proposal will be considered seriously. Perhaps the progressive recommendations of WHO may be taken up for discussion by the participants.

Regards,

Dr R Ganapati,
Director Emeritus, Bombay Leprosy Project