A one-day orientation program for the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP) staff under Tseminyu and Kohima districts was held on March 27, 2025, at the Conference Hall, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare.
The inaugural session was chaired by Dr Ruokuohelie Rutsa, SLO, who mentioned that similar training programs had already been conducted in Dimapur, Mon, and Tuensang. He stated that this training for Kohima and Tseminyu was the final session, made possible with the support of NHM.
Dr Akuo Sorhie, Mission Director of NHM, in her exhortation, expressed that the NLEP orientation program was long overdue and much appreciated, as it provided fresh insights into the program. She highlighted that leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to humankind and is often overlooked and left untreated due to stigma and discrimination. However, she emphasized that leprosy is curable with proper care and the introduction of multi-drug therapy.
She further noted that Nagaland was the first state in India to achieve the leprosy elimination target in 1998. However, the battle is not over, as there have been emerging residual cases. She urged that the state should work more diligently and actively in combating leprosy. Therefore, this training is essential for refining the skills of the staff and keeping them updated with the latest knowledge.
Dr Sorhie stressed that the department, especially the leprosy staff, must work meticulously and collaborate in alignment with the National Strategic Plan (NSP) and the Roadmap for Leprosy 2023-2027, which aims for the eradication of leprosy in India by 2027. She urged the staff to work in mission mode, emphasizing that leprosy has not yet been eradicated from Nagaland.
Therefore, more intensive awareness programs should be implemented to eliminate stigma. Additionally, she encouraged the staff to intensify case detection efforts, scale up active case finding, and conduct aggressive tracking of cases.
The technical session of the program covered topics such as the basics of NLEP, roles and responsibilities of NLEP staff, slit skin smear (SSS) laboratory diagnosis, and contact tracing/post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
The program was graced by Smti. Magdaline, PMW, who led the invocation prayer, and concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Smti. Visheli Chishi, Sr. Health Educator.