Hospital for leprosy patients by year-end

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 15

As many as 18 leprosy patients, who are being shifted from one makeshift arrangement to another for the past four years, can now heave a sigh of relief as the PWD has started constructing a prefabricated double-storey structure for them, which will be completed by the year-end.

Earlier, an exercise was initiated to construct a hospital for such patients on the Kumarhatti-Nahan road at Lohanjee village. Its foundation stone was laid in September 2017, but no work has begun so far.

Superintending Engineer, Mechanical, Prefabricated Structures and Ropeways, Ajay Sharma said the work to construct the leprosy hospital had begun and the structure would be completed by the year-end. He said it was a double-storey building which would have separate male and female wards as well as other facilities.

At present, the 18 patients have been housed in a hall in the Chambaghat area here.

Dr Udit Rastogi, district leprosy officer, said the expenses of these patients were being borne from the state budget.

He said a budget of Rs 5 crore has been approved for this new hospital. An initial amount of Rs 1.5 crore had already been released to the PWD.

The state figures among 34 states and UTs that are on the threshold of leprosy elimination with the recorded prevalence rate of one case per 10,000 persons. Most of these patients suffer from WHO-specified Grade 2 disability — visible deformity restricting movement.

The zonal hospital was supposed to cater to six districts of Himachal Pradesh. It also gets referred patients from IGMC, Shimla.

The state government was initially reluctant to spent crores on constructing a new hospital as the patients are old and have been staying in the hospital since decades.