Programmes
People affected by leprosy need more than just medicine!
TLM programmes deliver a combination of compassion and action. While we do identify and assist people to cure and treat physical impairments through reconstructive surgery TLM also invests in education, vocational training, counselling and socio-economic rehabilitation.
TLM Hospitals - Affordable Health Care
TLM India has 17 of its own hospitals. The combined bed strength of these hospitals is 1,170. Disability assessments are made at each hospital and disability prevention activity carried out by training the patients and their caregivers in self-care/ulcer care. Various complications in leprosy are treated. Over 1,200 reconstructive surgeries are performed every year. Six of these hospitals were upgraded to Community Hospitals and offer a wide range of general health care delivery, apart from leprosy care.
Vocational Training Centres - Hope
TLM has 6 Vocational Training Centres where formal and non-formal job-oriented courses are offered. In addition they follow the 'production cum sale' concept. The VTCs offer hope to many young boys and girls, who have no affordable means of vocational education to improve their quality of life.
Community Based Projects - Participatory Stake-Holding
TLM India has over 20 time-bound projects focusing on Community Based Rehabilitation to raise health awareness, advocacy and provide technical assistance to government health centers.
An indicative list of projects are: Advocacy and Awareness Works, Community Awareness on Disability and Impairment Prevention, Disability and Awareness, Catch Them Young, Community Development, Women's Empowerment, Economic Empowerment of Artisans with Disabilities, Community Health Care, Integrated Disability Care and Community Based Rehabilitation. The projects are totally community based, participatory with local stakeholders and innovative in approach.
Diana Princess of Wales Health Education and Media Centre - Media with a Message
The Diana Princess of Wales Health Education and Media Centre at Noida has excellent facilities for audio-visual, programming. The Media Centre generates Information on Education Communication (IEC) materials meant for NGOs, educational institutions and the government.
Research: Expanding Horizons
The Stanley Browne Laboratory at Sahahdara, Delhi is involved in laboratory-based research. The lab has undertaken projects associated with nerve function impairment in leprosy and early diagnosis.
The laboratory is complemented by field research. Several multi-centric clinical studies are underway and it is hoped that these research projects will lead to advances in the treatment of leprosy and its complications. TLM has a Research Resource Centre at Delhi, which coordinates the research projects at all TLM sites.
Public Health
The Leprosy Mission along with other ILEP partners is involved in supporting NLEP activities as per the MoU signed between Government of India (GOI) and ILEP members dated 24 th October 2007. The MoU was signed by DDG (leprosy), Dr P L Joshi and ILEP co-ordinator in India (representative), Dr G Rajan Babu, on October 24, 2007 in New Delhi. The MoU was signed in the presence of Joint Secretary in Ministry of Health, Government of India, Mr Debasish Panda, president of ILEP, Mr Rigo Peeters, DFIT secretary, Dr P Krishnamurthy and DADG (leprosy), Dr D M Thorat.
Community Ophthalmic Programme - Restoration of Vision
Regular eye examinations has been incorporated as part of the medical evaluation for all newly registered patients as well as those at high risk for eye complications. Cataract is also found to occur at a much younger age among people affected by leprosy, a high risk category. Every year nearly 4000 cataract surgeries are performed at TLM hospitals. Six TLM hospitals have ophthalmologists, who facilitate vision restoration.
