Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre (MAHELERECEN)

The Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre (MAHELERECEN) promotes voluntary health and preventive health services like general health education, leprosy awareness classes, case detection, mobile camps, and rehabilitation services. It is functioning for the leprosy eradication work, face rejection and social exclusion for leprosy disabled.

The NGO has been serving the slum and rural population of Madurai when it was set up to eradicate leprosy and treat the affected by rendering clinical support.

Some of their activities are as follows:

Case Detection and Treatment: Skin check-ups for children at various primary schools are conducted by the NGO because of inadequate immunity power in them and the risk of getting infected is more than adults. Mobile Medical clinics (MMC) and camps are organised with a vision to provide ‘access to the community’ of medical care for leprosy affected in rural and urban of Madurai and Dindigul districts. Through Prevention of Deformity (POD), Chemotherapy treatment (MDT) is given to all detected cases for curing the infection at early stages along with Physiotherapy treatment to deformed patients with active and passive exercises, wax baths and oil massages.

Health awareness program: The NGO conducts health education program for school children, industrial workers, and to the public regarding general health, hygiene, safe drinking water and facts about leprosy with scientific factors and other infectious diseases as TB, HIV/AIDS. Education is provided through giving lectures with the help of the health education materials pamphlets, flip charts, flash cards, slide shows, short film and the public addressing system.

Rehabilitation:  Socio- Economic Rehabilitation Program is conducted for the cured and disabled where beneficiaries receives financial support. Through this activity, beneficiaries participated in income generating activities. Under Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) activity programs, loans are given for self-employment of rural people.

Advocacy: The NGO has put in efforts to train community members to fight against leprosy, they have begun various social media campaigns, and also have collaborated with village authorities, local and international organizations.