Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Factual error

This refers to the opinion piece titled “Overcoming the stigma of leprosy” by Navin Chawla published in The Hindu on January 30. A very well written piece coinciding with the opening of the 17th International Leprosy Congress in Hyderabad. The author states that “A critical reason is that medicine, once so expensive as to be out of reach of the poor, is now provided free by the Central Government. This multi-drug therapy has reached the remotest corners in the country because of the dedication and out-reach programmes of NGOs, as well as some equally committed members of the Government’s eradication teams.”

We commend the good work being done by the government and NGOs in ensuring that the multi-drug therapy reaches the people who need it. There is however one factual error which needs correction, that the medicine is now provided free by the Central Government. The multi-drug therapy is provided free of charge by Novartis through the World Health Organisation (WHO) to all patients in the world. The Central Government is shouldering the task of local distribution.

Since the year 2000, Novartis has provided free treatment to all leprosy patients worldwide in a pioneering collaboration with the WHO. Based on estimates from the WHO, Novartis MDT donations helped cure about 4.5 million patients in the past seven years. Since 2000, the company has supplied more than 37 million blister packs at a cost of about $64 million. Novartis has committed to work with the WHO to provide free treatment to all leprosy patients in the world at least through the end of 2010.

Svetlana Pinto,

Head, Corporate Affairs & Corporate Communications, Novartis India Limited

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