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Ganesh Muthusamy – an empowered, passionate ‘leprosy champion’ who is leading the fight against leprosy

Recently, in the State-level Leprosy Coordination Committee meeting in Tamil Nadu, chaired by Dr Ashraf Ali, Additional Director (Leprosy), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, Mr Ganesh Muthusamy, a leprosy champion developed by The Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLMTI) gave the first-person experience of disabilities in leprosy and how leprosy stigma, disability and discrimination affects even educated persons affected by the disease. He spoke about the need for timely diagnosis and treatment of cases before nerve damage sets in to prevent disability, as leprosy is a leading cause of permanent physical disabilities among communicable diseases.