Kendrapara: The social stigma attached to leprosy is deep-rooted. A case which brings this out has been reported from Mahakalapada block in this district, where a leprosy patient has been forced to live on his own without his family due to social stigma.
Sahadev Sethy, 60, a resident of Ramchandrapur in the Badihi GP of Mahakalapada block has been suffering from leprosy for three years. He has become incapacitated as he has developed contractures of fingers and toes due to lack of treatment. Condemned to live a life in the shadowy alleys of existence he has been forced to take to begging.
Although free treatment is available for leprosy patients under government programmes, being illiterate and poor, Sahadev failed to access treatment due to lack of awareness.
Sahadev’s family members drove him out of the house as they believed they too would get affected by the disease. He has been staying on the village outskirts in a thatched house.
The recent heavy rains damaged his hut and he is living in the midst of rainwater. Though he has two sons and a wife they have abandoned him. Now, the family as well as other villagers are keeping him at a distance.
“We have tried to provide treatment to Sahadev, but he returned without completing it. He had been undergoing treatment at Mahakalapada CHC but did not take medicines regularly,” said his family.
Sahadev left the house, but his family members say they have not rejected him. They said they have asked him umpteen times to return to the house, but he turned down their requests, said Biswajeet Sethy, the sarpanch of Badihi.
Though, the Health Department and NGOs managed to educate and create awareness among locals the stigma attached to the disease is yet to be wiped out from the district as in several areas lepers are facing social stigma, said Ranjan Kumar Das, a social activist.
The district administration should provide medical treatment to lepers like Sahadev and counsel his family to provide an opportunity to Sahadev to stay with them, said Pramod Swain, an educated man of the village.
PNN
