Office of DDMS Leprosy awaits facelift

Dilapidated DDMS Leprosy office in need of modern healthcare facility for efficient patient care services.

The dilapidated condition of the official premises of the Deputy Director of Medical Services (DDMS) Leprosy in a crowded part of the city has raised concern over the need for a purpose-built healthcare facility.

Located in a bylane of V.O.C Road, opposite the Central Bus Stand, the DDMS Leprosy office functions from an old bungalow that staffers say could be at least a century old.

Its entrance is easy to miss, because of the presence of roadside food stalls nearby blocking the view of the facility’s name board.

The malodour of public urination near the gate lingers in the air.

The office is part of the K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, and provides crucial services to leprosy patients, including the slit skin smear (SSS) diagnostic test. Approximately 15 staff members work in the office, along with field workers across the district. The centre also has a physiotherapist.

With a clay tiled-roof, stone walls and antiquated electrical wiring, the premises resembles a derelict heritage home more than a medical centre that caters to at least 400 leprosy patients in the district.

On one side of the reception area, a staff member prepares strips of gauze to be distributed along with patients’ medical kits. Posters about symptoms and treatment of the infectious disease are pasted on the walls.