Leprosy patients have nowhere to go

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, August 21

More than three-and-a-half years after they were shifted from the Mandodhar-based Zonal Leprosy Hospital to an old building of the Community Health Centre at Dharampur,18 leprosy patients have nowhere to go as the building faces demolition within the next few days.

Since it lies in the ambit of the Parwanoo-Solan four-laning project, the patients were housed there temporarily on the promise of constructing a new hospital at Lohanjee on the Kumarhatti-Nahan highway. With barely eight months remaining with the NHAI to complete the four-laning work, they were getting all buildings demolished and the CHC building was likely to face demolition soon. The health authorities were yet to either arrange a new site or construct a new building.

Though several options were worked out like erecting pre-fabricated structures at Lohanjee after working out its drawings but no such work has begun till now. It was known that the government was dithering from investing Rs 10 crore on constructing a new building for the leprosy patients despite having sanctioned these funds years ago.

A proposal to shift the inmates to another Zonal Leprosy Hospital in Palampur was also mooted earlier. It could, however, lead to a controversy as this Zonal Hospital also works as a rehabilitation centre for the leprosy patients who have been staying here since decades. Since the state government has given such an undertaking in the court, shifting the patients to Palampur by closing the hospital could invite legal issues.

The 16 patients, a majority of whom, have been receiving treatment here since 1980 are averse to shifting to Palampur and want a permanent place now. The inmates were earlier shifted in 1983 from Mashobra.

Deputy Director-cum State Programme Officer Dr RK Baria, who was looking after this project, said they were in the process of finalising the designs for putting in place the pre-fabricated structures and the patients would be shifted there in the near future.

Rakesh Kanwar, DC, Solan, said apart from providing land, all assistance had been provided to the health authorities like delay in demolition of the old CHC building in view of the four-laning. He said it was the onus of the health authorities to arrange rental accommodation or erect pre-fabricated structures as Rs 10 crore had already been provided for the same.