Development of Sustainable Self-Care Model
Self-care is a flagship programme of NLR India; the programme is being implemented in all 7 states of NLR India since 2010. Over the years two different models have emerged. One model since 2010 has been through NLR India directly training the persons with disabilities due to leprosy; NLR India also started providing self-care to persons with disabilities due to Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) since 2017. In 2019, self-care training was provided to ASHA who in turn trained and monitored the persons with disabilities in the community. The former model though is more dependent on NLR India but seems to be yielding good results; the latter model has the clear advantage of wide scale reach through an approach less dependent on NLR India, however the effect on prevention of disability and its worsening needs to be determined and compared to the older model. NLR India proposes to document the strengths and weaknesses of both the models; and develop an integrated, effective, replicable and sustainable self-care model which can be adopted and rolled out by the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).