Persons affected by leprosy in Indonesia often do not have adequate medical and rehabilitative care. This worrying development needs attention and concrete action. YDTI and PerMaTa South Sulawesi are advocating to improve health care and rehabilitation services. We inform, train, question and collect evidence to increase understanding about the needs of persons affected by leprosy particularly after their leprosy treatment.
With the help of The Leprosy Mission Netherlands (TLM NL) we were able to organise surgery training in June 2022, which will be continued in September 2023.
TLM NL has extended their support to find, visit and help people affected by leprosy in need of medical care or rehabilitation. We are often informed through the PerMaTa network about people in need and emergency situations. We visit them and their families, or connect via phone, explain their options, help them to organise health insurance and referral letters, advocate to the district governments for financial help for referral and when needed we pay for expenses when there is no other way. This way we were able to help many people. Often they are young and suffer from severe chronic reactions. We are very greateful for the help of TLM NL that makes it possible to directly help individual persons. The life of two persons were saved who had cancerous leg ulcers but would not agree to amputation until PerMaTa talked to them and offered also financial soluations.
Currently, we are taking care of a boy with very severe consequences of chronic reactions, who was negleted and now has a place to stay in the leprosy settlement Jongaya in Makassar.
