March 16 was a day of rejoicing for hundreds of patients who visit TLM Chandkhuri Hospital in Chhattisgarh every day.
The hospital is situated 1 ½ km away from the bus stand on the newly opened National Highway 130 and the patients had to walk all the way to the hospital, as there was no other means of transport. Trekking on the dirt track was so cumbersome – especially for people affected by leprosy with disabilities – that many patients stopped visiting the hospital altogether.