PRESS STATEMENT

SISTERS SERVING LEPROSY PATIENTS KICKED OUT BY MODI GOVERNMENT

The Government of Gujarat has stopped the services of the Catholic Sisters who were administering and providing medical services to the Narol Leprosy Hospital on behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Ahmedabad.

The Sisters have served the leprosy patients selflessly and round the clock since 1949 that is for more than fifty-seven years now. The written agreements between the Government of Gujarat and the Diocese of Ahmedabad were normally renewed rather automatically. This current agreement expired on the 31st of March 2006 and on April 1st, the Sisters were asked to leave the hospital premises, saying that their services were no longer required without any reasons being assigned.

Whilst it is within the rights of the Government to renew or not to renew any agreement, this particular decision smacks of highhandedness and discrimination because the Sisters were not even consulted about the possibility of them having to leave.

There are almost fifty leprosy patients who are resident in the hospital and more than one hundred who frequented as out-patients. The incidence of leprosy has definitely come down in Gujarat with the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) maintaining that there is just about one-to-two cases for every ten-thousand persons in Gujarat. This however lays hollow, the claim of the Gujarat Government that Leprosy has been eradicated in the State.

There are also insinuations that the Sisters have been “preaching Christianity”. The fact is, the selfless service of the Sisters, their Love, Compassion and dedication was definitely Christianity preached in very concrete action. All other insinuations however, are totally baseless. The leprosy patients feel greatly orphaned now that the Sisters have moved out.

The Gujarat Government continues its minority bashing. The sending out of Sisters from Narol Leprosy Hospital is a clear case to prove it.

This action deserves to be condemned by one and all !

6th April 2006 Fr. Cedric Prakash sj

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PRASHANT - A Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace

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Geographical place: Gujarat (India)

Author: Prakash, Cedric SJ

Group, movement, tendency (wherefrom it comes from): Prashant