PM vows to make Bangladesh leprosy-free by 2030

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pledged to eliminate leprosy from the country by 2030, urging the local drug manufacturing factories to produce quality medicines for the treatment of leprosy patients.

"We are firmly committed to erasing leprosy from the country by 2030," she said while opening the second national leprosy conference-2023 at a hotel in the capital.

The premier asked all concerned to increase the fund and other required measures to achieve the "Approach to Zero Leprosy by 2030".

At the same programme, she unveiled the “National Strategic Guideline for Leprosy 2023-2030”.

The premier also called upon all to serve the leprosy patients with love and affection.

"Let's all help leprosy patients recover by standing beside them with love and affection as they are our near and dear ones," she said.

The prime minister reiterated her call to pay more attention to conducting medical research in the country.

"More medical research is needed for us. But our medical research is very few in numbers. Please do research on the medical sciences," she said.

If you do research on the medical science, you will get a clear understanding of the diseases related to climate, she said.

"We can produce required medicines to treat the diseases linked to climate. I request you all to do more research on medical science," she said.

The prime minister called upon all to stand by the leprosy patients, shunning the old misconception and superstition that they can't be touched.

"We all will have to come out of the old misconception. Many have already come out of it... We'll have to leave the old beliefs and superstitions," she added.

Sheikh Hasina said they have built a digital Bangladesh and now have taken steps to build a smart Bangladesh.

"How will we be smart, cherishing such superstitions in the Smart Bangladesh?" said Sheikh Hasina.

/KN/