Training in TLMTI
Building and retaining expertise
The Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLMTI) trains health professionals from the government and development sectors, in India and abroad, to develop and retain expertise in leprosy and other related areas. This is at a time when leprosy has fallen off the radar of public engagement.
Globally, elimination of leprosy as a public health problem (defined as a registered prevalence of less than 1 case per 10,000 people) was achieved in the year 2000. And on 31st December 2005, leprosy was declared eliminated in India. Because of this, the disease has become less of a priority for healthcare providers, nationally and globally, resulting in reduced funds and focus.
But the efforts to eradicate leprosy must be continued till the last case is diagnosed and treated. The steady decline in leprosy expertise, if not addressed, could reach critical levels adversely affecting the efforts to eradicate the disease. As leprosy cases become less common, it is essential for health staff to have the knowledge and expertise to diagnose and treat the disease before it is transmitted to others.
TLMTI offers a range of training programmes to develop and retain expertise in leprosy and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs); water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and disability. Through these training programmes, health professionals from the government sector and NGOs from the development sector in India and abroad are trained in the following areas:
- Clinical leprosy (for all levels, from field health workers to medical officers)
- Prevention and management of disability
- Ulcer care
- Reconstructive surgery
- Pre- and post-operative physiotherapy
- Nursing care
- Livelihoods
- Community-based inclusive development
- Other customised courses
Resource persons for the training workshops are subject experts from within TLMTI and invited experts. Our training approach is one where theory and practicals carry equal importance. This means the trainees can look forward to engaging and interactive training sessions with practical learning.
The training programmes are conducted at its Training Unit in Naini, Uttar Pradesh, and other hospitals. The following UGC-recognised short-term courses are conducted at its Training Unit in Naini:
- Certificate in Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Certificate course in leprosy, for medical doctors
- Certificate course in leprosy, for physiotherapists
- In-service training in surgical care, for physiotherapists and occupational therapists
- In-service training, for shoe technicians