Father Abaraham Kwasi Dzibitor, the Provisional Secretary for the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), Ghana, has asked the Government to commit more resources and efforts into the setup of centres to research into infectious diseases, particularly leprosy.
Father Dzibitor, on behalf of Father Andrew Campbell, founder of Lepers Aid, said that was the only way to effectively manage infection rates, create more awareness, and educate the populace on the management of such diseases.
“We need to give serious attention to research and development of this area. When attention is given to it, then the necessary policies can be rolled out to enable these people who have gone through various pains and difficulties to develop themselves and avoid future occurrences of such diseases,” he said.
Father Dzibitor said this when a team from the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) presented various food items worth thousands of cedis to cured lepers at the Weija Leprosarium in Accra.
He called for more awareness and sensitisation to mitigate all forms of discrimination and stigmatisation faced by people who had suffered from infectious diseases like leprosy.
Mavis Quarshie, a Social Worker at the Weija Leprosarium said one of the major problems encountered by the cured lepers was stigmatisation.
“People are still living here because of stigma from their friends and families. Civil society must help us spread the word that leprosy and many other contagious diseases are curable. Usually, people attach superstition to leprosy but it is a medical issue with a cure so I will advise them to spread that for us.”
Leprosy, known otherwise as Hansens Disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. The disease affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes.
Leprosy is curable and early detection and treatment can prevent further progression of the disease which causes disability.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) which still occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than 200, 000 new cases reported annually worldwide.
Wilfred Haruna, the Head of Operations at CRS, in a brief address to the inmates, said their ideals of respect, equity, diversity and inclusion served as an inspiration for their constant donation to cured lepers.
“At our Organisation, we believe that there should be sacredness when it comes to life so we thought that it is good for us to come and donate, express our solidarity and also show compassion because any of us can be caught up in this situation,” he said.
John Ampaw, a cured leper, who received the items on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the team noting how modern medical care and cures had helped improved their condition hence all stigmatisation and superstitions surrounding the disease should end.
The Catholic Relief Services has been in existence in Ghana for 59 years. The faith-based multinational organisation has impacted nearly 1.2 million people in 33 districts nationwide with operations focused more in areas such as health, agriculture, water, and sanitation.
GNA