“Had I known it then, I would not have lived in the cave,” Rana said. Rana, 35, however, holds no grudges against his family, who had advised him to leave the house. “They used to bring me food and clothes to wear,” Rana said. His relatives, however, are yet to visit him in Surkhet, where he is receiving treatment. [break]
More than two dozen leprosy patients receiving treatment at International Nepal Fellowship (INF) share similar stories. Many of them have been ostracized by their family and relatives. Nepali society, which still mired in superstitions, is yet to accept leprosy as a curable disease.
Kamala Malla was abandoned by her husband Ratan, who had taken marital vows to stand by her side through thick and thin, 29 years ago after she contracted the disease.
She had come to INF, Birendranagar 25 years ago with her three children after she couldn´t receive treatment for the disease elsewhere. “My children are now married and well-settled,” Malla added.
Program Coordinator of INF Rajendra Basnet admitted that despite great achievements in medical sciences, there is still a social stigma attached to the disease. “This has made it difficult for even those who have been cured to go back to the society,” Basnet said. He urged the government and other stakeholders to launch awareness campaigns about the disease.
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