World Leprosy Day commemorated in Accra
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo have joined the President of the Lepers Aid Ghana to mark the 2019 World Leprosy Day at the Weija Leprosarium in Accra.
Dr Bawumia, who doubles as the patron of the cured lepers, while speaking at the event said, “Discriminating against people who have suffered leprosy is not Godly and therefore we should all desist from that”.
The event which observed worldwide is done on every last Sunday of January in every year, making the observation this year fall on January 28 2019.
The Vice President added that the government is dedicated to seeing zero infection of leprosy in children.
“Government will support the various Leprosaria to ensure that people living with leprosy are protected and live a meaning life” he said.
He further pledged at the 2019 commemoration to join hands with the Lepers Aid Committee to raise more funds for their activities.
The theme for the commemoration this year is dubbed, “Ending discrimination, stigma and prejudices’.
Justice Sophia Akufo who also spoke at the event said people diagnosed with the disease should not be forced to leave their homes to live in a distant facility and must not be disowned by their family members and society.
Father Andrew Campbell, president of Lepers Aid Ghana, expressed appreciation to the Vice President and many other philanthropists who have over the years shown care, concern and support to the lepers in Ghana.
He called for increased support from government in funding the activities of the Lepers Aid Committee to enable them to take good care of the cured lepers in their care.
Already, all cured lepers in Ghana are placed on the government’s social intervention program called the livelihood empowerment against poverty (LEAP), a gesture the Lepers Aid Committee is grateful for.
Father Campbell also expressed satisfaction at the support given to the committee from the District Assemblies Common Fund and hoped for many of such gestures from government.
Dr Bawumia together with his wife Samira Bawumia fete scores of cured lepers at their residence during which he called for an end to discrimination and stigmatization against people living with leprosy.
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