The Department of Public Health Mid-West has launched a fundraising campaign to help develop the laboratory facilities at Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital in Nepal.

Public Health Mid-West has partnered with Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital in eastern Nepal, which is one of the busiest facilities of its kind in the world.

The department has had close ties with the hospital, its clinical team, and the community for seven years, a partnership that benefits both partners. 

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease that mainly affects the peripheral nerves, and the upper respiratory tract, and can cause long-term, life-changing disabilities, including blindness and limb damage. However, with early diagnosis and treatment, it is curable.

Within Nepal, the area where Lalgadh Hospital is situated, has one of the highest rates of Leprosy in Nepal.

The campaign is in conjunction with the ESTHER programme initiative, through which Public Health Mid-West has secured funding to pursue the aims and objectives of the partnership, both this year and in past campaigns.

The ESTHER scheme is a European alliance of health services with the aim of strengthening networks and developing relationships between Northern and Southern partners.

The ultimate aim of Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital to become completely self-sustainable in the future. A significant proportion of their care is self-funded through general care, with leprosy care free-of-charge. Developing their laboratory services will help them towards sustainability, as well as improving the range of health care and diagnostics they can supply to the area they serve.

Public Health Mid-West has formed a committee to oversee the campaign, comprising Public Health doctors, nurses, surveillance, administration, and communications. We expect to host a number of fundraising initiatives.

A large cohort of the Public Health team (doctors, nurses, surveillance, and admin) will take part in this year’s Great Limerick Run.

Staff nurse Eimear Dwan, who has been working on the pandemic frontline with Public Health Mid-West since 2020, will take part in the Great Limerick Run marathon in aid of this charitable cause.

All donations are processed through the Nepal Leprosy Trust Ireland charity. Members of the public can donate through iDonate here: www.idonate.ie/PublicHealthMW. 

Dr Anne Dee, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, said: “I worked at Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital in the early 1990s, and some of my colleagues there have spent their entire careers working to improve the care and the lives of Leprosy sufferers. It is my great privilege to be able to come alongside them and help them to achieve this.”

Dr Krishna Lama, Deputy Director at LLHSC, said: “Lalgadh is very fortunate to be part of this ESTHER partnership. Nepal Leprosy Trust, and Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital and Services Centre, is solely a non-profit organization to serve leprosy affected, poor and marginalised and left out people. Last year LLHSC managed to serve about 62000 people. We in Lalgadh are always conscious about better care of patient, so we would like to upgrade our laboratory to improve the health of the local population in Provence 2 Nepal. This partnership will help to make it happen. On other hand it will help to sustain the hospital as well.”

Eimear Dwan, staff nurse from Tipperary, said: “It is an honour to represent the department’s efforts to raise much-needed funds for Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital and the thousands of patients it treats in Nepal. The marathon is one of the toughest challenges in sport, but I have dedicated months of preparation for the task ahead on the May Bank Holiday weekend. After reaching the finish line, I am hopeful we can raise enough to build modern facilities for people in Nepal.”