The Union Health Ministry has launched a two-day review and capacity-building workshop in Indore to strengthen the implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) and accelerate efforts to interrupt leprosy transmission. Organised by the Central Leprosy Division, the workshop brings together more than 70 health officials, district programme teams, technical experts and development partners to review the disease situation, assess programme performance and identify gaps in last-mile interventions.
A key focus of the discussions is improving early detection, contact tracing and timely completion of treatment, along with preventing disability among people affected by leprosy. Technical sessions are examining strategies for strengthening the Leprosy Case Detection Campaign, improving surveillance and using programme data to identify districts and areas that require more intensive interventions. Officials have also stressed the need to bring the prevalence rate below one case per 10,000 population as part of the country’s efforts towards interruption of transmission.
The workshop is also providing a platform for district-level experience sharing and peer learning. Teams from districts including Alirajpur, Anuppur, Barwani, Burhanpur and Dhar have shared field experiences, operational challenges and measures being adopted to improve case detection, treatment and disability prevention. Sessions on retrospective and reverse contact tracing are focusing on identifying potentially missed cases and improving understanding of transmission patterns, while community representatives have highlighted the importance of involving people affected by leprosy in programme planning and implementation.
The workshop will continue on August 20 with additional technical and capacity-building sessions aimed at strengthening district-level action plans. The Health Ministry’s focus on targeted surveillance, stronger contact tracing, early diagnosis and community participation reflects an effort to move leprosy control beyond routine treatment towards sustained interruption of transmission. The outcome of these district-focused interventions will be important in strengthening India’s last-mile response against the disease.