WHO Bangladesh has supported a series of orientation courses to train community providers on how to detect and refer leprosy patients for proper management. The courses also covered the importance of building community awareness in order to help overcome the stigma associated with leprosy.
The National Leprosy Elimination Programme (NLEP) selected both community health care providers and non-state providers from selected districts in Bangladesh to participate in the courses and delivered the sessions at upazila health complexes in those districts.
A total of 760 community health care providers and 800 non-state providers participated in the orientations. As well as learning history, cardinal signs, diagnosis, classification and treatment of leprosy, participants also learned about their role in supporting the NLEP to achieve its target. All participants agreed to participate in the leprosy programme after the orientation was done.
As a result of this training, it is hoped that leprosy cases will be diagnosed earlier, the referral system will be stronger and eventually the number of leprosy cases and associated stigma will be reduced. This will help lead to a leprosy free Bangladesh in the long term.
