Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Satya Kumar Yadav introduced the Bill in the Legislative Assembly on November 14, 2024
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has introduced a Bill seeking to amend the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Act, 1986, by removing the words “deaf-mute or suffering from leprosy” with a view to ending discrimination against those patients.

Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Satya Kumar Yadav introduced the Bill in the Legislative Assembly on November 14, 2024 (Thursday).

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is an infection caused by slow-growing bacteria called ‘Mycobacterium leprae’. With advances in medicine, leprosy is now completely curable and can be rendered noncontagious by administering the first dose of multi-drug therapy (MDT).

To ensure elimination of discrimination of persons affected by leprosy, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a comprehensive advisory on January 14, 2022, and one of the major recommendations was to amend 97 laws to end discrimination of leprosy-affected persons in a time-bound manner, the Bill said.

The NHRC found 20 laws that were discriminatory in Andhra Pradesh, and Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Act, 1986, was one among others. The NHRC had sought appropriate action to amend these laws in a time-bound manner with a view to ending discrimination of persons affected by leprosy, the Bill said.

Further, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in its letter on October 13, 2023, said that certain statutory provisions were in force in the State of Andhra Pradesh, which had direct or indirect effect on the persons with disabilities, including leprosy-cured persons. One among them was Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Act, 1986, and recommended that it be amended to remove the words “deaf-mute or suffering from leprosy” from the highlighted provisions.

As per the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, it was the mandate of the government to ensure removal of all sorts of discrimination against persons with disabilities, and provide them with equal opportunities in all walks of life.

In view of these advisories and to end discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and other aspects, the State government decided to amend the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Act by removing the aforesaid words from Section 41(1)(a) and 42(2) of the Act.