World Health Day is observed across the world, including in Bangladesh on April 7, in order to promote awareness among people towards the importance of good health. It is celebrated under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations. The First World Health Assembly decided to celebrate World Health Day on April 7 of each year, with effect from 1950.
The date of April 7 marks the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. The day, this year, will focus on the theme ‘Health for All’, marking the 75th anniversary of WHO.
The day is celebrated to highlight that not only physical, but taking care of mental and emotional health of a person is equally important and to draw people’s attention towards complete well-being. Creating awareness regarding the health issues in people of poor regions around the world is also a major goal behind celebration of the day.
The day’s message is Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UHC is about ensuring that people have access to the health care they need without suffering financial hardship.
Health is an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, the SDG 3.8 target aims to “achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
Every United Nations Member State has committed to achieving UHC by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, so we should take the steps necessary to make health care services accessible and affordable within the time.
WHO said following countless studies, that countries which invest in universal healthcare will make a sound investment in their human capital; indeed, access to a very bottom line of care and financial protection will not only truly improve someone’s health and life expectancy, but also protects countries from epidemics, reduces poverty and the risk of hunger, creates jobs, drives economic growth and enhances gender equality.
Though the day calls for ensuring UHC, in Bangladesh a health issue namely ‘leprosy’ remained neglected for a long time, causing sufferings to a large number of people.
Leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) is a bacterial infection caused by the slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose. Leprosy is completely curable through multi-drug therapy which has been available in Bangladesh since 1985. However, if left untreated, it can cause permanent damage to these tissues.
For people affected by leprosy, the disease is still a barrier to continuation of education, employment and participation in social events.
In Bangladesh, leprosy is hidden beneath multiple layers of systemic exclusion, structural discrimination and institutional neglect,” said a UN human rights report.
Bangladesh has the fifth highest number of leprosy cases in the world, according to WHO, with relevant data indicating ongoing transmission, late diagnosis, and gaps in the health system.
Bangladesh is committed to eliminate leprosy by 2030. Adequate budget allocation with clear targets, indicators and benchmarks is essential to turn the government’s pledges into reality, the report said. It expressed deep concern about a high potential number of hidden leprosy cases, critically delayed diagnosis, ongoing transmission and disability among children and widespread disease-related discrimination and stigmatisation. It also highlighted limited access to care for those affected – including rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery, assistive devices and psychosocial support.
“Persons affected by leprosy and their families are still not enjoying the benefits of economic growth, nor are they seeing discrimination against them duly redressed,” the report added.
According to The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B), annually on an average about 4,000 new leprosy cases are detected in Bangladesh in the recent years. About 10 percent of the victims later become disabled due to lack of timely and quality treatment.
We need to take up programmes to address leprosy, but a number of issues are hampering the eradication of leprosy in Bangladesh. Leprosy is yet to get priority to the government, budget in this sector is far less than requirement, and there is scarcity of trained manpower for detecting leprosy cases in the remote areas. There is lack of awareness raising activities for dispelling stigma over the disease. As the doctors have less experience on leprosy, they find it tough to treat patients. There is lack of treatment facilities for complex leprosy cases in the country.
Experts said, prevention of secondary disability for those who already have primary disability after multi-drug therapy is important, including management of ulcers. Specialist services and even basic services like ulcer care need to be integrated into the general healthcare system. The outreach programmes need to be strengthened to provide information and dispel myths and misperceptions. A media campaign is crucial to raise public awareness and a school-based curriculum needs to be introduced.
It is a major challenge to sustain the knowledge, skills and experience in leprosy management, particularly in prevention and management of disability. Community rehabilitation, including skills training for income generation, is a priority for people living in poverty, exacerbated by the effects of leprosy, they observed.
It is necessary to take steps for the treatment of leprosy complications at district level hospitals and medical colleges. Experts said, early detection of symptoms, early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to prevention. A programme of active case detection is urgently needed. It is very important to maintain the programme efficiency and the capacity to detect and treat all new cases in all existing facilities.
Early active case detection of leprosy is the most effective way of eradicating the disease. As the disease is treatable, so finding early case and brining it under treatment is the effective for its eradication. Hence, field level employees of the government’s health department should be imparted required training and they should be utilized for the purpose.
Skill of our physicians on leprosy can also be increased for better treatment. Budgetary allocation for of all these matters should be enhanced as part of anti-leprosy programme. If it is not done, our effort to make a leprosy-free country will not succeed and leprosy-related sufferings will continue to haunt us as long as there is leprosy in the country.
Let us work together to make Bangladesh a healthier place for all, including the ultra-poor, by defeating leprosy.
Md. Sazedul Islam is a freelance journalist
