High court seeks details about people with leprosy in Odisha

The court appointed a committee of three lawyers to check the living condition of people with leprosy to understand their needs

Published on: Jul 16, 2021, 15:09:12 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Orissa high court has asked the government to submit district-wise details on the number of leprosy-affected people, facilities available for them and whether the state and Centre’s interventions have resulted in a reduction in such cases.

Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A two-judge bench of chief justice S Murlidhar and justice SK Panigrahi also asked the government to submit an affidavit on the prevalence of leprosy, the status of availability of treatment, beds, and drugs across the state and the status of filling up of vacant posts of medical officers and staff.

“Exact figures rather than platitudes or general vague statements of due care and attention be placed on record,” the court said while hearing a petition filed by the general secretary of State Leprosy Welfare Federation, Bipin Bihari Pradhan, over deficiencies in the state’s leprosy control measures.

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The court appointed a committee of three lawyers to check the living condition of people with leprosy to understand their needs.

In 2006-2007, Odisha was declared “leprosy free” as per the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. According to WHO, regions reporting 1 case per 10,000 of the population can be called leprosy free.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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