Ensuring health for all is our constitutional obligation. Article 18 (1) of Bangladesh’s national constitution puts emphasis on taking necessary steps for improving public health. Hence, it is the State’s constitutional duty to ensure health for all.
Bangladesh can derive national benefit by ensuring health for all. A healthy workforce can contribute to national development, while an unhealthy workforce remains a burden to the nation, hampering its national progress. Ensuring health for all is fundamental for achieving social justice, economic stability, and human rights, as it allows individuals to live productive lives without financial hardship. It improves global quality of life, increases life expectancy, strengthens community resilience, and prevents disease disparities.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 emphasises the issue of good health and wellbeing, urging for ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages. Health is an essential component of the shared future, emphasising the well-being of individuals and communities. By addressing health inequalities, preventing diseases, strengthening healthcare systems, and collaborating on emerging challenges, health initiatives contribute to a healthier and more equitable world. As one can navigate through an increasingly interconnected world, recognising the importance of health and investing in its advancement will be necessary in ensuring a brighter and healthier future for all. By prioritising health, one can pave the way for progress, resilience, and prosperity on a global scale. Ensuring healthy lives for all requires a strong commitment, but the benefits outweigh the cost. Healthy people are the foundation for healthy economies.
Bangladesh has made significant progress in the health sector. But leprosy, one of the national health problems, remains a challenge in our health sector. The rights activists observed that it remains an obstacle to ensuring health for all. Though basically a health-related problem, it is also responsible for creating social, economic and other problems.
The government is expected to announce the national budget in the parliament next month for the next fiscal year. It is hoped that the leprosy issue will get priority in the national financial allocation. The leprosy issue deserves due attention for the sake of national interest.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae. The disease predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. Apart from the physical deformity, persons affected by leprosy also face stigmatisation and discrimination. However, leprosy is curable, and treatment in the early stages can prevent disability. Left untreated, the disease may cause progressive and permanent disabilities. Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy (MDT).
According to The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B), annually, on average, about 4,000 new leprosy cases are detected in Bangladesh in recent years. About 10 percent of the victims later become disabled due to a lack of timely and quality treatment. Leprosy is a disease like other diseases, but there is a difference between leprosy and other diseases. No other disease carries as much stigma as leprosy. There is stigma surrounding leprosy, which results in the violation of the human rights of the affected people.
General people in our society have misconceptions about leprosy. Hence, many victims decline to take treatment for the disease. Leprosy continues to be a significant source of stigma at the personal, familial, and community levels. For centuries, leprosy has been shrouded in fear, isolation, and devastating misconceptions. Even today, the very mention of the word evokes images of disfigurement, ostracisation, and life relegated to the margins of society. The stigma surrounding leprosy has far-reaching consequences, impacting the lives of patients in profound ways. It can lead to loss of social support and relationships. Fear and misinformation often lead to ostracisation, preventing people with leprosy from participating in community activities and maintaining meaningful relationships.
There are multiple complications of leprosy. Along with health complications, it also has economic, social and other complications. For people affected by leprosy, the disease is still a barrier to the continuation of education, employment and participation in social events. The affected people find it tough to get education, employment and are barred from social relations and activities. Finding no employment, they not only become a burden to their own family, but also to the country. Besides, there are issues of psychological distress and mental health. The constant fear of discrimination and social rejection can take a toll on mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
Hence, we need to address the issue for the sake of our national interest. We need to ensure ‘zero leprosy’, which includes zero infection and disease, zero disability and zero stigma and discrimination; early detection and complete treatment of new leprosy cases; carry out household contact surveys involving health activists in the early detection and completion of treatment of leprosy cases on time; strengthening Disability Prevention and Medical Rehabilitation services; launching Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities in the community to improve self-reporting and reduce stigma.
Anti-leprosy activities include making leprosy diagnosis and treatment available free of charge at all health centres; dispelling the fear of leprosy, improving awareness of its early signs, and motivating people to seek treatment; and ensuring that all leprosy patients are cured.
It is our national duty to address issues like leprosy. The eradication of leprosy will bring national financial benefits. Leprosy control activities can contribute to at least three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 3 (good health and well-being for people, which includes Universal Health Coverage (UHC) or ‘leaving no one behind’), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).
If we want to eradicate the human sufferings caused by leprosy and achieve the goal of ensuring health for all, the leprosy issue should be addressed properly with adequate allocation in the national budget. It is hoped that Bangladesh will be leprosy-free soon with the combined efforts of both public and private initiatives.
The author is a freelancer who writes on health and human right issues
