Leprosy

An unsung hero, Jaya Reddy from Delhi's Anand Parbat colony has spent over two decades working with leprosy patients. Here's her story.

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She dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood. Looking back, she says, “I played a doctor in all my pretend play games. I used to go around giving everyone fake injections.”

“A doctor’s child will be a doctor, and a beggar’s child will be a beggar- is a myth, and I will prove it!”

"The stumps of his legs were deep enough to affect his walking, and yet he used to travel 4 km to reach our village and knock on every single door, convincing people of the need for education."

While leprosy is highly prevalent in India, 99 per cent of the people do not get it.

Did you know he once injected himself with bacilli to prove that leprosy was not highly contagious? This was just one of his many attempts to smash the social stigma around the disease!

Although India has made serious progress in battling the scourge of leprosy, it still accounts for 60% of new cases reported globally each year.

Using their own money or small offerings from volunteers the team buys dressing materials like betadine, gauze and gloves and approaches the people in need of help.

Leprosy is arguably one of the most stigmatised and misunderstood diseases in India. In 2014, the country accounted for 58% of all leprosy cases in the world.