Medical Post

The National Leprosy Control Programme (NLCP)  has been  in  operation  since  1955,  as  a  centrally  aided programme  to  achieve  control  of  leprosy  through  early detection of cases and DDS (dapsone) monotherapy on an ambulatory basis. The NLCP moved ahead initially at a slow pace,  presumably  for  want  of  clear-cut  policies  or operational  objectives  for  nearly  two  decades.  The programme gained momentum during the Fourth Five Year Plan after it was made a centrally-sponsored programme. In 1980  the  Government  of  India  declared  its  resolve  to "eradicate"  leprosy  by  the year 2000 and constituted  a Working Group to advise accordingly. The Working Group submitted its  report in  1982 and recommended a  revised strategy based on multi-drug chemotherapy aimed at leprosy "eradication" through reduction in the quantum of infection in the population, reduction in the sources of infection, and breaking the chain of transmission of disease. In  19