Lepers Still Shunned By Society

SUNGAI BULOH, May 7 (Bernama) -- Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek Sunday voiced his disappointment that the patients at the National Leprosy Centre hardly received visitors.
Dr Chua said the public feared that leprosy is infectious like HIV and therefore they feared visiting them.
Most of the patients at the centre are hardly visited by anyone except for some volunteers, he said this when met by reporters after closing the Flora Fest organised by the Subang MCA division at Lembah Harapan, a leprosy patient enclave here.
Dr Chua said the government had no plans to close the 30 year old centre.
In fact, he said, the centre currently with 312 patients would be upgraded.